


Can’t Go It Alone

by jcause



Series: Flee Or Ascend [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Mystery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:16:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 75,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7962067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcause/pseuds/jcause
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Detective Maggie Sawyer loves her work with National City's metahuman task force.  The problem, she's got a case she can't handle alone and she doesn't trust the people she works with at NCPD.  After making a phone call, looking for back-up specializing in what she's uncovered, leads her smack into her past, will her life ever be the same again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Supergirl and the characters connected with it are in no way mine. I’m just playing with them for a little while.

This really couldn't be happening. What was the old movie line? 'Of all the places, in all the world, and there she was', ... or something like that. 

Maggie Sawyer knew she was mucking up the quote from the old black and white movie her grandmother made her watch more times than she could count but the quote wasn't the important thing. What was important was that walking into the conference room, at this crazy secret base she had been driven to, were two federal agents, one of whom was an unexpected blast from the past. Alexandra Danvers with her beautiful eyes, her incredible body, hugged nicely in the suit she was wearing, and her more than perfect lips couldn't possibly be about to completely screw up Maggie's already less than perfect day, actually month. 

No, Alexandra Danvers was a smart, sexy, albeit screwed up, genetic engineer, science, lover who, almost four years earlier, had made Maggie re-think everything she ever thought about nerds. Alexandra was all about Stanford and her science and after they met she had nearly changed the entire direction of Maggie's life. There was no way she was now a federal agent, let alone one Maggie was meeting to discuss a case she was working and yet, there Alexandra was, moving into the room, with a weapon not so subtly concealed behind her blazer. 

As they locked eyes, Maggie saw three things, professionalism, respect, and a familiar longing. It was very difficult, even after all this time, not to let on she had noticed the last one. 

\---

For the past six months, Maggie Sawyer had worked hard and with great pride for the National City Police metahuman task force. She had solved more cases than some of the more run of the mill departments were clearing and was getting a reputation. Depending on where someone sat on the increase in Meta activity in National City, Maggie was either an incredibly skilled closer of impossible cases or a giant pain in the ass. 

It wasn't as much the thoroughness of her work but in the empathy, she always remembered to carry with her on every case, where the negative feedback had started to stem. More often than not, her investigations found newly gifted criminals using their powers for horrible reasons but ever so often there was more to a Meta crime than uncontrollable greed or baseless revenge. 

During the closing of a recent case, Maggie had nearly been shipped back to Gotham PD by a very angry assistant district attorney after fighting hard to get the circumstances of the crime on record at a sentencing hearing. In Maggie’s worldview, killing was never a solution, except in the case of self-defense. So, when an underage Meta, who had spent five years being held against her will and repeatedly been the victim of physical and sexual abuse, used her newly developed power of mind control to slowly and methodically dismember her abuser, Maggie had worked overtime to see the teen end up committed to a specially equipped psychiatric facility instead of being dumped in a top secret cage or face the electric chair. 

When an elderly Meta had found himself unable to control his powers and accidentally sent a grocery store full of shoppers into a frenzy, because they all thought they were being attack by flesh eating bugs, Maggie managed to help get him probation and a case worker who was also building up a quite a resume for helping Metas handle their new lot in life. 

It was Maggie's commitment to justice that fit the crime's intent, which was causing the recognition and contempt. She was finding many on and connected to National City law enforcement community to be grateful for her skilled and measured approach but there were a handful who wanted dangerous metahumans to remain on the streets so the attention was off their departments low productivity numbers, others thought the Meta crime sprees would help line their pockets or be politically helpful to their careers, and some really bad apples wanted to see people who were beyond explanation be erased from existence. 

One detective, she had no choice but to work with on a couple cases, was fond of peppering his version of Meta crime with language that on a good day was ignorant but on a bad day was hate speech. It didn't matter if he was speaking of an evil sociopath or a child who wasn't able to control their abilities when they accidentally set fire to the bleachers in their school gym after being bullied. To him they were all an equal blight and Maggie was cynical enough to know he wasn't alone in his way of thinking. Dealing with the public while investigating Meta cases, it was getting easy to see how the Salem witch trials became a thing.

Sure, most of the city was appreciative of good people like, say, Supergirl but not everyone was convinced she was good for the world. Her activities over the past year hadn't gone unnoticed thanks in large part to CatCo Media's obsession with the woman in blue. The news agency was often her biggest cheerleader and, once or twice, her harshest critic but, even when being critical, it had always been constructive. On the other side there were talking heads, like Maxwell Lord, that when given airtime were prone to throwing gasoline on fires. Granted, the eccentric billionaire tech giant had presented a public change of heart when it came to Supergirl but his earlier whispers of danger and fear had already seeped into the fabric of the conversation, especially with those people who already hated anything different. 

People with hate in their heart weren't new to Maggie. Growing up, she often felt it directed at her because of her heritage. The adults that took issue with her were never brave enough to say anything to her face. Her peers that bullied with playground taunts found themselves at the receiving end of playground fights that Maggie often won. By the time her teens and early twenties rolled around she had learned to ignore people who were taking issue with her background just in time for the fact she was gay, and proud of it, to become the problem. Eventually she grew thick enough skin to ignore that hate. It was then her stubborn pride and ability to barrel forward, that caused the woman, now sitting across from her, to exit her life.

On the positive side it was those same qualities that caused her to jump at the chance to leave Gotham and move to National City to take the job. Her gift as an investigator married with her life experience made her the best person for a job with Meta crime and she found herself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Focusing on unexplained impossibilities was a challenge she couldn't pass up and it allowed her to distance herself from her most recent disastrous break up. 

Maggie Sawyer was always great with work but relationships never seemed to pan out. So she traded a decent position with Gotham PD’s homicide division and an emotionally distant, frustrating, vigilante in a batsuit that occasionally shared her bed for a more challenging job she was now succeeding in past even her own expectations. It seemed a good trade even with what she was currently facing and even if it meant accidentally pulling Alexandra Danvers back into her life.

If Maggie’s instincts were correct, and they often were, her latest case not only was way too big to handle alone it was also putting a really big target on her back. She couldn’t go it alone. She needed backup. 

"Detective Sawyer," Alexandra managed to say without a hint of shock in her voice, but why should she be shocked, she had the heads up. They had probably run every background check in the book before agreeing to the meeting. "I'm agent Alex Danvers and this is my superior officer, Hank Henshaw."

Maggie fought off a smile and a memory that involved great music and lots of Tequila. "It's nice to meet you, both,” she said punctuating the lie just enough for it to be noticed. “Thank you for taking the time to see me."

Henshaw took a step forward and gestured to one of the empty chairs. "It's us who should be thanking you. We appreciate that you reached out."

Maggie removed her leather jacket and hung it on the back of the chair and then placed her shoulder bag on the table before taking a seat. She then removed a stack of folders and binders from the bag. "Before we begin I want your assurance that I'm not going to hand this over and have it taken away. We work together or I walk."

"We can't guarantee anything until we know what you're bringing us," Alexandra coldly explained. 

Maggie stood and began to pack up. "I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time."

Henshaw slowly gestured back to the chair. "What Agent Danvers meant to say was we have every intention of working with you but you need to be aware that there are procedures in place that need to be followed before I can give you one hundred percent assurance. I can only promise you that I have no reason to remove you from the case and firmly believe your proficiency closing cases for Meta crimes will be a great asset.”

Call it instinct but Maggie believed him and at the end of the day justice mattered more than her need to be involved in seeing the guilty parties go away. She placed the folders back on the table and returned to her seat. "I hope you continue to find that to be the case."

"So what has your investigation uncovered," Alexandra asked. 

"I have reason to believe we have a humanist militant group that has formed in National City with a goal of both discrediting and doing violent harm to Metas, aliens, and their supporters."

"What drew you to this conclusion?" Henshaw asked after a very subtle, but noticeable, look at Alexandra. 

"Certain evidence has come to light while in the midst of a 6 week investigation that started with a string of unsolvable robberies and has now resulted in the violent, I believe, hate crime motivated, murder of a seventeen year old boy from the inner city." 

It was Alexandra's turn to glance at her superior. "Did the teen have a gift?"

"Yes and he was using it to be his community's Robin Hood."

Alexandra jotted something into the tablet in her hand. "How so?" 

"After a lot of leg work I was able to tie him to these string of robberies.”

“Walk us through it,” Henshaw instructed. 

“Every victim was an employer of minimum wage employees who lived in the same projects my victim also lived in. Also, all of the individuals robbed had questionable, allegedly illegal, business practices that no one could bring to light. Two of the six robbery victims had recently been cleared on unrelated crimes by the grand jury when, in both cases, the key witnesses disappeared. Each robbery coincided with a windfall for employees of said employers.”

Henshaw seemed to smile. “Go on.”

“In some cases, it was cash that recipients weren't exactly subtle about spending. In some cases, necessary goods like groceries or clothing or desperately needed medications were handed out,” Maggie tried her best to keep the emotion out of her voice. “Two weeks following the final robbery, and in the midst of me trying to convince the thief to turn himself in, he was murdered."

"And this led you to conclude a hate group?" Alexandra asked, her tone challenging. 

Taking a folder from the pile before her, Maggie opened it and tossed it across the table. “No, this did.” 

The full color photo was brutal. Maggie had committed every detail of it to memory including the message staked into the teen's chest with a nine-inch blade. "Die Freak."

The horror on Alexandra's face was evident from the moment her eyes looked down at the photo. "Jesus."

Henshaw said nothing while pulling the photo closer to him for a better look. Maggie thought she saw the color of his eyes change but she chalked it up to her own anger over events and her lack of sleep. 

"He was prepared to work with me to help unmask the illegal activity of these criminal employers. In exchange, I had nearly gotten him to agree to turn himself in for the robberies with a promise that I would work with the DA’s office to get a reduced sentence that would include him working with someone who specialized in helping Metas."

Henshaw hadn’t taken his eyes off the photo as if he was willing it to tell him something. "What was his gift?"

Maggie normally had to work up slowly to the big reveal. No matter how many times people had seen footage from Cat Grant of Supergirl flying, they couldn't wrap their heads around the kind of things she was dealing with on a day to day basis. These two could handle it. "When he wanted he could phase in and out of any location. It was as if he could make himself a ghost; which was what his neighbors had started calling him.”

"And yet someone managed to do that to him?" Alexandra asked as she pulled the folder away from Henshaw and closed it. 

"Can't explain it, maybe he was caught off guard and couldn’t just instantly phase his way out, but yes. I saw him with my own two eyes phase out of handcuffs and then run thru a brick building the first time I apprehended him. His skills were the real deal.”

Alexandra made another note in her tablet as Henshaw continued asking questions. "How did you go from him running from you to him agreeing to work with you?"

"He was living with his aunt. She and I had a talk. Eventually he found me and said if I could help him stop these business owners from taking advantage of his friends and neighbors he would agree to turn himself in. He was a good kid. Saw this thing that happened him as a way to help people he loved."

"Seems a big leap to hate crime? Could be these owners got wind. I still don’t see the connection,” Alexandra interjected.

Maggie pulled four other folders from the stack and tossed them on the table. "These are your connections."

Henshaw reached over and took each folder, he opened them, absorbed the images that Maggie knew all too well and then handed each one to Alexandra who looked at them. She then closed them and made another stack.

"Five dead bodies in six months on the job. Those four have no connections to the robbery victims. No connection between the murder victims except they all had abilities. The only other common denominator is the same message and same kind of blade staked into each body and according to autopsy that occurred while they were still alive. And of course none of this made the press because empathy for people like them doesn’t sell papers.”

"And why do you suspect a hate group?" Henshaw asked.

"The Internet is filled with all kinds of things if you know where to look," Maggie said as she slid across the table the thick black binder she had put together. "That is filled with ideology, media blips that could be tied to the group, possible leads I managed to track down, a very rudimentary chain of command, unfortunately with only online aliases, and some potential intended targets. You'll also notice in the highlighted portions enough evidence to at least place some of the anonymous handles to the top of the suspect list when it comes to three of the five cases in those folders, including the ghost case."

Henshaw got up from his chair. "May I get this to our analysts?"

"I've got another copy locked up in a safe place. Be my guest. These copies are all yours."

Henshaw moved to the door, opened it, and handed the binder and the case files to the guard standing outside the room. "Get these to Vasquez and tell her its top priority."

"Yes, sir." The guard responded as Henshaw went back into the room and then shut the door. "What else have you got?"

Maggie slid across the table the final two pieces of evidence she had collected, each in a thin black binder. "From my research, I'm pretty certain I'm getting very close and time is of the essence."

Alexandra grabbed one while Hank grabbed the other. Maggie immediately wished she had held one of the two pieces back when she realized which one Alexandra was opening. It was too late now. 

"The president's visit to honor Supergirl seems their next target and it seems I've been marked a traitor," Maggie said, trying to sound as unfazed as possible but knowing photos don’t lie. 

From the look on her face, Alexandra wasn’t taking the vandalism done to Maggie's condo in stride. The damage done was extensive. The threats scrawled on the walls very clear. "This is your place, isn’t it?" 

"It was time to get some new furniture, and a new wardrobe, and who doesn't like the chance to change up the wall colors,” Maggie responded, flippantly. 

Alexandra looked up and met Maggie’s eyes. She was angry. "Those are death threats scrawled on those walls."

"Yep and in blood, I figured out.” Maggie tried to stop herself from speaking further but found she couldn’t. “I think Die Dyke might be my favorite.”

“This isn’t a joke.” Anger was changed to worry on Alexandra's face. "I'm assuming you reported this."

"Not until right now."

"Why not?" From Henshaw’s tone, Maggie suspected that he knew the answer she was about to give. Something about the conversation with them was now beginning to feel like a test.

"From my research into the group, I'm pretty sure there are people at NCPD involved. So, I called in the only favor I had left with someone connected with the kinds of things I assume you two take care of and that phone call brought me here. I was assured your team could be trusted."

Alexandra was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

"Come in," Henshaw said without turning around. 

As the door opened, Maggie couldn't help but feel a bit star struck. Without thinking, she even stood because in the doorway, in her blue suit and her red S, was Supergirl. Her arms at her side and a smile on her face, she seemed younger and smaller than Maggie imagined the hero to be. 

"Detective Sawyer, I want to thank you for your efforts. When I got the phone call that you needed assistance I looked into you and was impressed by what I learned of your work and your commitment to not only justice but more importantly your sense of compassion. It’s very commendable and sadly rare these days. They are two qualities I greatly admire."

"The feeling is mutual, Supergirl. You’ve done great things for this city."

The hero smiled. “It seems from what you’ve just presented we all have work to do.” The inclusion in her comment didn’t go unnoticed. “I look forward to working along side you on this case.”

Hank Henshaw and Alexandra stood from their chairs. He extended his hand to Maggie. “I think that goes for all of us.”

Maggie reached over and shook it while mentally kicking herself for not noticing the very tiny red lights blinking in the corner of the room. Of course they had cameras running during the interview. “Thank you for allowing me the chance to help see this to its conclusion.”

Alexandra began collecting up the two remaining binders from the table and headed out. “I’ll go give these to Vasquez and bring back our Intel so that Detective Sawyer can be brought up to speed.”

“Can we offer you something to drink?” Henshaw asked.

“Coffee, if what you government types have around here is drinkable.”

Henshaw smiled and also headed towards the door. “It is. I’ll bring us all back a cup. It’s going to be a long afternoon. Supergirl, we’ll talk later.”

Supergirl nodded and, as Henshaw left, gave a small laugh. It was a surprising but pleasant sound coming from a super hero. “Those two insist on great coffee. They bring it in themselves and hide it so they don’t have to drink the stuff in the kitchen.”

“I stop for the good stuff on my way into work for the same reason,” Maggie confessed.

Supergirl moved closer to the table and extended her hand. “I’ve got to go meet with secret service about the President’s visit but will be back later. It was nice meeting you, Detective Sawyer.”

“Please, call me Maggie,” she said as she shook hands with Supergirl. 

“Maggie.” She said with a little nod and then there was that smile again. It seemed to light up the room as the hero turned to leave. She then stopped and turned back. “Oh, and don’t let Agent Danvers’ professionalism read as rudeness. She’s big on facts. Likes to make sure she covers all the bases.”

Maggie smiled back and nodded but under her breath said, “I recall.” 

Supergirl seemed to chuckle as she left Maggie alone in the room. As the door closed, Maggie Sawyer realized that one of the many things Supergirl had in her power arsenal was super hearing.


	2. Chapter 2

When the door opened Maggie looked up from her smart phone to see Alexandra standing there with a small stack of folders and two tablets. It was Déjà vu. 

The first time Maggie laid eyes on her, she had her hands as full as they were now. There was a large stack of research folders and books and she was running thru a hallway in the science building at Stanford. Alexandra was both flustered and beautiful. 

Maggie was in the building to meet with one of the science professors whom she had an on again off again sexual relationship. There wasn't a conflict, as Maggie was studying criminal justice, but that afternoon, behind one last locked office door, they decided their trysts needed to end. Maggie was in no way phased by the split. They had enjoyed each other's company but outside the bedroom the professor was, in a word, dull. 

As she moved through a doorway in the building, Maggie had nearly collided with a nerd with long dark hair that had just a hint of red in it. Other than an awkward ‘sorry’, they didn’t speak to one another that afternoon but the impression Alexandra Danvers left with Maggie was surprisingly memorable for a run in that was so brief. Even after all this time she couldn’t pin point why the girl in the science building had made such an impression.

In the time since those days at Stanford, Alexandra had developed a sexy confidence about her, one Maggie bet was being used as a very effective wall to keep people from getting to close to her. She was pretty certain the old Maggie and the new one would still have that defense mechanism in common.

"We are going to have to get you a secure one of those?" Alexandra said nodding to the phone in Maggie's hand. 

There was no signal and no Wi-Fi access anyway so Maggie put her phone back into the pocket of her jacket.

"I’ll make sure to get that paperwork going. Where did Hank and Supergirl go," Alexandra continued, in a tone that made it sound like she would rather be getting a root canal right about now. 

"Henshaw went to get us some of your secret coffee stash and Supergirl had a meeting with the secret service."

"Oh," Alexandra said as she moved into the room and then placed all the stuff in her arms down on the table. She left the door to the room open. "Well, we can start getting you up to speed."

Maggie liked a challenge but wasn't much for games. There was no way she could sit there pretending, no matter who might be watching on the other side of that tiny camera. "Well, last we left off, Stanford and you were butting heads and you didn't want any extra drama in your life. So get me up to speed."

"Maggie, not here." Alexandra said in a whispered tone. 

"Cameras and all."

The eye roll she got in response was one Maggie had nearly committed to memory. "Can we just focus on why you're here?"

"It's been, what, three, maybe four years, what's another week or two?" Of course Maggie knew, almost to the day, how long it had been but she wasn't going to give Alexandra the satisfaction. "Sorry, that was uncalled for, its just you obviously had time to prepare for my arrival while I got the surprise reunion."

"What was I going to do? Drop by your office and say hi? Maybe drop by McConners last night to share a drink and let you know you were coming to meet with me?"

"Did they write down what I ordered?"

Alexandra didn’t miss a beat. "Cobb salad, a side of fries, and a bourbon whiskey, neat."

"Brand?"

"Knob Creek."

Maggie smiled. "Very thorough. How long have I been under surveillance?"

"Since Supergirl got the phone call from her cousin. Whomever you contacted has friends in high places."

"National City isn't the only place in the world with heroes, Alexandra."

"Please, would you call me Alex? You know how much..."

Maggie had been intentionally pushing her buttons. "Okay, Alex."

"So I assume you're acquainted with Gotham's bat vigilante and that's how the message got to Superman?"

"A friend had some connection to someone so she made a call."

"Who is the friend?"

"I find it hard to believe your team didn't chase that down."

"You know they did."

"Careful, all these questions about my personal life, that you already have answers to, could be misconstrued."

The eye roll returned. "Just making sure the intelligence we collected lines up with your story."

"Afraid I'm some hate group mole?" Maggie challenged.

"I know you better than that." The comment hung in the air. A soft sincerity appeared on Alex's face for the briefest of moments and then was gone. "Hank isn't known for letting just anyone wander into the DEO, let alone let them stay on a case of this magnitude without them having serious top secret clearance." It was the thinnest of excuses but Maggie didn't need to hear Alex say the actual thing motivating the third degree.

"So, if I’m not a mole, and I am getting to work this case, let's get to work," Maggie suggested. "I know what I brought in must be in the right ballpark. I saw the looks the two of you were exchanging."

"You're on the right track. There is a growing amount of evidence that whomever is in charge, are happy to be fueling the hate, and they have deep pockets."

"Any names?"

Alex shook her head. "Not yet but the connected leads we do have seem to indicate their circle comes from many walks of life; as varied as local administrators, captains of industry, law enforcement, and organized crime."

“How can you make that leap?”

“A variety of sources, like press, social media, and data collection, including correspondences that don’t identify whom to or from but that build a circumstantial narrative that includes connections and/or line of work; who can get what, when it will arrive, that sort of thing. At this point there is nothing to convict anyone on or give us a direction for surveillance but we at least have a path to walk down in order to gain the necessary clues. This group, whomever they are is being very careful to cover their tracks.”

"So that ties into you thinking the ghost murder was payback?"

"Merely a working theory that his death served two purposes. Our first order of business is for my team to run the names of the businessmen your meta robbed and see if they can fill in any blanks.’

The fact Alex had said law enforcement began to give Maggie pause. "Or it was simply a racist cop that I led right to the kid."

"Don't go down that road. This is bigger than any one-robbery case or someone following your casework and being pissed about the community you were helping serve. Your five meta murder cases aren't the only ones.”

"What?" Maggie wasn’t sure how this was possible. She hadn’t heard of any others. 

"From what we've run down so far, there have been, in the last two years, at least three in Metropolis and three in Central City. There were also two here before you transferred to National City six months ago."

"I was never given any unsolved meta murders to run down."

"The city had no meta division until you arrived and before then no one would have cared,” Alex said, as both fact and, it sounded like, admiration. “Luckily, someone in the National City M.E.'s office was honest enough to mark their findings, even if the officers of record weren't. The findings that tie those deaths in were buried in the unsolved database but not deep enough we couldn’t retrieve them."

"Same MO?"

"Notes on three of them. All of which were from outside of the city. The others had enough forensic and investigatory evidence to give us an 82% probability that they tie together."

"Of course you have the exact odds,” Maggie said, more to herself than to Alex. “Same killer?"

"Killers, we believe. Crime scene and forensics tie the crimes together but not necessarily by the same hand."

"Mercenaries?"

Alex nodded, "A strong possibility."

There was something about the way Alex had said it that made Maggie believe there was something she wasn’t sharing. “And?”

“Okay, look, this doesn’t mean that what you or we’ve, for that matter, dug up regarding the hate angle doesn’t hold water.”

“But?” Maggie said, drawing out the word.

“There was alien… matter,” Alex said, in the least science way Maggie had ever heard Alex speak of something related to science. “It was present at all the crime scenes.”

“From the victims?”

“Based on identifications we only think three of the victims fit that bill. We are quietly working around Metropolis and Central City PD’s to try and have the bodies exhumed to confirm. We believe they were escapees from an alien prison tied to Supergirl’s home world that were in hiding.”

“So if not all the victims were than one of the killers could be alien?”

“Looking very likely. I’m still running some of the crime scene samples we were finally able to get our hands on.”

"How long have you been onto this?"

"Not very long.” Alex said sitting back a little in her chair. “Secret service folded us in about eight days before Supergirl was contacted thru your channels. Cyber experts at our end began sweeping for what they could find. We then cut through as much red tape as we could to try and gain access to case files, all the evidence, and the usual other stuff. The murders started soon after the public began learning about metas but the worrisome part is that things have escalated."

Before these killings apparently went from just local to a national serial murder spree, Maggie had thought the timing important. "Just after Supergirl went public?"

Alex nodded and then tucked a piece of her short hair behind her left ear. It was a casual gesture but one that made Maggie have to force herself to keep her focus on the work. "The epicenter of the escalation seems to be in National City. There have been no new reports of killings that fit the profile in the other two cities, or any other city for that matter, at least not that we have found. This gives us strong reason to believe the money and anger is seeded here and since Supergirl is also here.”

“It seems coincidental and there is no such thing as coincidence.” 

“Exactly.” Alex said, with a tiny sad smile, perhaps an acknowledgement that what Maggie had said was something she had gotten from Alex.

"And the President, who is on record as being compassionate to metas and aliens, is about to grace National City with her presence to honor Supergirl, who is also an alien."

"Yes."

"So secret service has received threats."

"Yes. It's all in there," Alex said, sliding the pile of folders closer. 

Maggie reached over and opened the one on top. "Let me see what your team dug up."

"Meanwhile, they've scanned in your case work." Alex said, handing over one of the tablets. 

Maggie sighed, nothing like a silent study session with a former lover to really mess with one's day. Flipping the first folder open, Maggie found a detailed chronology of threats against the president. A few dates immediately leapt out as ones lining up with some of Supergirl's less positive interactions with the public as well as some near disasters that the hero managed to stop. There was no doubt these threats were cause and effect which certainly pointed to a National City base of operation. 

The most recent threats weren't even subtle. The wording, the strength of detail, the demand that it be canceled, these must have put the secret service on edge. The President had a reputation for being strong but also stubborn. She didn’t seem the type to bend to threats but considering what Maggie was reading, something told her the event to honor Supergirl was a dangerous thing to have outdoors and open to the public. Even a few short years ago something like this would be complicated but standard but Maggie supposed a few short years ago people couldn’t fly or walk thru brick walls.

"About your place?" Alex asked out of the blue. 

"My place? What about it?"

"That was a rather direct threat and it couldn't have happened quietly. Someone had to have heard something."

"They struck in the daytime. All my neighbors work days and I'm not exactly the kind of gal who has a doorman."

"And the blood?"

Maggie looked up from the folder in front of her and stared at Alex. "I know a thing or two about science," she then paused, just long enough. "Working for a year with Gotham homicide taught me some things."

"Have you swept the place for any surveillance equipment?"

"A friend sent me something. I found a couple things and destroyed them. I kept the piece for evidence and can retrieve them for your team to dissect."

Alex nodded. "I’ll have them checked. 

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Alex paused. “I guess what I’m trying to also say is that I’m glad you weren’t hurt. Look..."

There was no point in complicating things any more than they already were at the moment. "Alex, don't," Maggie said, her eyes casting up in the direction of the light in the wall.

Frustration filled Alex’s face, whether over the silent message Maggie was sending her about the cameras or the situation as a whole.

"I've got the coffee. Where are we with things?" Hank Henshaw said as he enter with three dark red mugs filled with coffee. 

Maggie took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she was angry or grateful for the interruption. She pointed in front of her, as to indicate where she wanted the mug to land, and then went back to the files in front of her.


	3. Chapter 3

The place was pretty empty at this late hour. It usually was on a weeknight but Maggie came for the food not for the company. Sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant, she was exhausted. The agent that drove her back dropped her off at 9:15pm almost 10 hours from when she had first arrived at the DEO headquarters

As someone who didn't exactly enjoy cooking, Maggie made a habit of dropping by McConners at least five days a week for at least one meal. The place wasn't technically open for breakfast but, on the rare occasion she was at a crime scene until daybreak, the owners were almost always prepping in the morning so most of the time they would open the place up for her and let her get a taste of what would be on the daily special board. Terry and his wife, Dhara, were kind in that way. 

During her first week in the neighborhood, Maggie had found the place on a night very much like this one. It had been an incredibly busy introduction to the NCPD and the moving truck from Gotham had been delayed. When it finally arrived, Maggie had to spend her only day off in ten days getting unpacked and settled in. The movers had brought the stuff up from the truck and been nice enough to drop items in the correct rooms but with no friends in National City, Maggie had to handle the rest of it alone. It was after nine that night that she realized the only thing she had to eat all day was a very large coffee and an egg sandwich for breakfast. Venturing out, and hoping to find more than pizza shops and delis, Maggie had found McConners. 

Terry and Dhara had taken over the place from Terry's parents Gail and Greg. It was a decades old family business and a neighborhood staple. Now Gail and Greg were enjoying the life that all retires seemed to enjoy in Florida which was a place Maggie decided, if she ever got the chance to retire, she would avoid. There had to be somewhere that was a million times more exotic to retire to than the Sunshine State. Terry's parents seemed to like it though and now he and his wife were responsible for what Maggie considered the best menu in the city.

McConners had none of that fancy stuff Kate was so found of ordering. There were no giant plates with small cuts of fancy meat, one stalk of asparagus, and some kind of unpronounceable sauce, instead there was the most varied of any menu Maggie had ever seen. Where else would one find Cobb Salad, Pot Pies, fried, tandoori, or grilled chicken, hamburgers of every style, fried or broiled fish, not to mention tacos, tikka masala, New England clam chowder, biryani and dozens more things on one menu? The varied options represented the family’s diverse heritage and it meant Maggie could eat there almost every night for three weeks without having to repeat her order, although she often did. 

Tonight, it was a chicken tikka masala with a draft beer. After the day she had, it was liable to turn into a two-beer night since Maggie had the next two days off, which she needed. Her head was swimming from what she had learned from the DEO, there would be a lot of work to be done based on what she had learned, and she was colossally frustrated by the presence of Alex Danvers. Working with her was going to be, in a word, challenging. 

For now, she wasn’t going to think of any of that though. She sat quietly and slowly enjoyed her fantastic meal while trying to tune out from anything related to her complicated day. She was in no rush to be anywhere else because going home to her still vandalized apartment, where she was still sleeping on an air mattress expressed shipped the day of the break in, wasn't exactly fun. Though after ten minutes of successfully absorbing the highlights of the news cycle she was pulled back in to thinking about the case because the President impending arrival into National City was turning up as a story option on everything from general news sites to the cover of search engines. 

"Can I buy you a drink?" 

Maggie looked up from her phone for the second time that day and was greeted by the sight of Alex Danvers. The DEO agent was holding a glass of wine, a risky choice at McConners. The one snobby thing Kate liked, that Maggie grew very fond of, was great wine. Terry and Dhara were very kind people and fantastic cooks but their taste in wine was terrible. 

Alex took a sip and made a face that confirmed Maggie's prediction. 

"I would suggest you swap that for something stronger. The liquor they serve here are from brands you've heard of before tonight. The wine on the other hand is… unique."

"It's not great but I'll live." Alex said, as she remained standing next to the booth. 

Where earlier in the day Alex was the picture of professionalism with her pressed blazer, Royal blue V-neck, and slacks, tonight she looked like the woman Maggie remembered. She still wore jeans better than anyone Maggie had ever met and the green button down shirt and leather jacket hung perfectly on her small frame. Without the formality of the job, Alex had a refreshing youthfulness about her while still seeming like an old soul, and she was still that perfect blend of feminine and tomboy.

Maggie did her best to stay focused on the intrusion but it seemed was already failing miserably. "So they reported back where they dropped me?"

"Actually, no, I took a lucky guess."

"Alex, what are you doing here?"

"I owed you an explanation for today."

"You have a job to do,” Maggie said with a shrug.

"We both know that's not the reason I didn't give you the heads up."

The uncharacteristic honesty made Maggie wish she could put her walls down. It would be so easy to forgive and forget everything that was in the past and just wipe the slate clean; let Alex get close again, at least in a friendship way. Instead, Maggie took a sip from her beer, pretending it wasn't a big deal. 

"We should talk," Alex suggested.

"Alex, don't worry about it. I'm not fragile. You didn't need to feel obligated to come here and have a walk down memory lane."

"It's not obligation."

"Guilt?

"No," Alex answered a little to defensively. 

"If you're going to insist on doing this you might as well have a seat. Wouldn’t want to make a scene." Maggie added, sarcastically.

Alex removed her jacket, placed it on the hook on the side of the booth, and then sat down. The two of them stared at one another for a moment until Alex lost the game of chicken and took a sip from her wine glass, which resulted in another silent commentary on the wine. "How are you?"

It wasn’t the best start to years of radio silence but it was something. "My job has had its fair share of complications as of late and my apartment would have been better off burned to the ground so I could more easily start over."

"You are just as sarcastic," Alex observed. 

"And you seem just as frustrating." The look of surprise on Alex's face made it hard for Maggie to keep playing it tough. She shifted gears perhaps to far. "The short hair looks good on you."

"And the longer hair suits you," Alex said as her body relaxed more and a small smile grew on just the corner of her lips, not that Maggie was staring at them or anything. 

Alarm bells went off in Maggie's brain reminding her she was walking very close to edge of a very tall cliff. It was time to reverse course again. "Frustrating and you still love talking around the big stuff."

Alex shook her head. "Ok, you started it."

"Are we twelve?"

A tiny laugh from Alex as her shoulders relaxed. "No, but we haven't changed all that much, have we?"

"Nope, just professional detours it seems weren’t worth going into before blindsiding me this morning."

Alex shrugged. "What do you want to know?" 

Maggie was impressed. She didn’t exactly believe Alex’s intent was to lay it all out on the table but it seemed she was willing. "The piece you were carrying under your blazer was pretty easy to pick out. I don't believe a government issued firearm is standard for genetic scientists. What changed?"

"You mean with the science?"

Maggie nodded.

"My life took a pretty self destructive turn. My grades slipped. I was basically run out of school,” Alex confessed. “Lucky for me my research got the attention of some government types."

"For any normal person that leads to a job in a lab with test tubes and microscopes, or something, not looking like you are moonlighting with the secret service."

"I still work with the science team but learned I was more than just the science."

The fact that Alex might have finally found happiness with her self was a nice bit of information to learn. It made the past seem a little less sad. It was always the hardest thing to convince her, that she was worthy of so much more than she believed. "Good for you."

"And what about you,” Alex asked while going for her wine and then changing her mind and placing it back down on the table. “You should have ended up in court fighting for the needy and oppressed not solving Meta human crime with NCPD. I thought Supergirl got something wrong when everything was brought to Hank for review."

"What I thought was an opportunity to advance in a field I loved instead taught me that I wanted to grow in a completely different direction."

"Translation.”

"I hated the internship. When it was over the lawyer I was reporting to at the firm took me to lunch. She picked up that I was no longer enthusiastic. After getting me to talk, she suggested law enforcement instead of criminal justice. Her brother worked at Gotham PD so with my transcripts and a couple letters of recommendation he got me fast tracked into their academy elite program.” Maggie took a sip from her beer. “After graduation the promotion to detective came quickly. I would like to think it was because I deserved it but with all the corruption in the force that got cleaned out thanks to the Bat it was largely due to lack of man power."

"Gotham certainly has had a reputation in the past but since Gordon took over things seem to have settled down."

Maggie nodded. "He's an upstanding guy and a great commissioner. Gotham is lucky to have him."

"So you liked it."

"It was hard work but the city suited me."

"Big city. Easier to disappear in."

"That's your thing, not mine." The defensive comment came out before Maggie's brain could stop her mouth from saying it. She didn’t exactly want to take it back though.

It obviously stung as Alex blinked and returned the glass of bad wine back to her lips. One step forward and two steps back was still the way the two of them communicated with each other. "Right, you were always wanting to be the one out front." Alex's tone was resentful and harsh. 

"Not out front, Alex. Just out."

"My research meant a lot to me."

Maggie let out a big sigh. "Me being in your life, didn't have to change your dedication to the work." As more truth than she said with words spilled out in her tone, Maggie took a drink from her glass as well. She collected herself and made a drastic change in subject before she said something she would regret, which would make working together impossible to do. "How's your family?"

Alex looked happy for the change in direction. "Good. My sister is still here in town and my mom is enjoying life back home."

"Kiera,” Maggie said trying to dig back in her brain for the name of the quiet girl in glasses. “Right?"

"Kara."

"Right. Sorry. So the family is good. That's good."

“And yours?”

“Dad is still back in Nebraska. Sister is living in Star City.” Maggie offered matter of factly. 

“Your brother?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care,” Maggie said as she took another drink of her beer really not wanting to go down that road. 

The conversation was now forced. The list of safe topics was getting shorter and what they needed to talk about, what Alex claimed was why she was there, was being completely ignored. 

"You still ride," Alex asked, as if she was on a bad date but her friend forgot to call her to give her an excuse to leave it.

"Back and forth to work is about all I've had time for since coming back here. All this beautiful weather but work keeps me too busy. Still surfing?"

"Same as you. Work takes priority."

"And from everything in the news over the last year, I imagine you practically live in that bunker the DEO calls a base."

"Pretty close."

This was ridiculous so Maggie decided to rip off the Band-Aid. It was time to put the conversation back on the tracks or simply call it a night. "Look I'm, I'm sorry if me leaving Stanford had any effect on what happened with school."

"You have nothing to apologize for Maggie. I’m the one that made certain choices."

"At least one of which I forced you to make."

Melancholy came over Alex’s face. "You needed something I couldn't give you and had we continued it would have ended far worse."

"Still, I pushed it. Maybe if I had just given it a little more time.” Maggie had once again let her mouth lead before her brain and it surprised her the hope that she heard in her own tone. She chastised her self for even letting an ounce of those feelings surface.

"I can say, with great confidence,” Alex offered with a far away look in her eyes that cut right through Maggie. “That you would still be waiting."

It was an unbelievable reveal. "Alex, don't tell me..."

"Like I said, work takes priority."

Maggie’s heart grew heavy. "Oh, Alex." 

"I don't need pity. I'm quite content." The growing sadness in the agent’s eyes betrayed her.

"Alex, there is more to life."

"I'm good."

It had been a bold face lie but there was no point in pushing. It was sad to think Alex had grown so much but was also seemingly the same emotionally stuck person Maggie walked away from years before. How could she still be so trapped? Was being in her orbit making things worse for her? "A government organization as big as the DEO is, superheroes on the payroll and all, I don't imagine they miss much when they conduct background checks.”

Alex’s face changed, she was suddenly in work mode. "The dossier on you was immediately marked classified even before the background and surveillance was complete."

"Because of the threats against the President."

"Yes. So, the two investigators assigned to you dug up a lot including that we knew each other at school but nothing more. After you left today, I think Hank knows something is up but that’s fine."

"So pass me off to someone else at the DEO. When I came forward, when you walked through that doorway this morning, I never intended to start some chain reaction that would make matters worse and give you more reason to resent me.” 

“Why do you…,” Alex started to mumble under her breath and then continued back in a professional tone. "That won’t happen. It’s fine."

Maggie was officially confused but decided to leave well enough alone and chalk the night up to another evening with Alex Danvers. “So what's next with the case?" 

"Secret service had already made a request for local law enforcement to assistant with the Presidential visit. They have a meeting with your captain set for tomorrow to work thru the request. It will be easy for them to slip in the need for help from Meta human task force." 

"And what about my case work?"

Alex sat up straighter. Any more conversation about the past was over. "When I left, our analysts had begun a full scale sweep of social media and other researchable outlets with your information successfully added to their existing algorithms. If someone on the inside has been sloppy, we'll locate them. Once we have that, we can start the difficult task of smoking them out."

"Okay."

Alex stood up and started to retrieve her jacket from the hook. "I should, umm, get out of your hair. I've got an early day tomorrow. Down by your feet there is a present from the DEO. Use what's in there."

Maggie glanced down and took notice of a small black gym bag that she hadn't seen Alex drop. 

"Let's talk tomorrow," Alex said with a nod and a smile. 

"I'll be around all day tossing junk in garbage bags." Maggie offered.

"We will send one of our team over to install security so you don’t have any more break-ins.” 

"Like I said. I'll be there all day. Just make sure I get a heads up as to who is stopping by so I don’t assume they are there to kill me or something."

Alex nodded, began to turn to leave, and then stopped. She turned back and for a breath of time said nothing. The tiny smile from earlier returned to her lips. "For what it's worth,” Alex said in a tone that drew them both to make direct eye contact. “I'm glad it's you. Your record is impeccable and knowing what I know about you, what makes you tick, the DEO couldn't ask for better back up on this."

Maggie's ego wanted to remind Alex the DEO was the real back up but something about the compliment left her unable to argue the semantics of it all instead she just smiled. “Thanks.”

“We’ll talk tomorrow,” And with that Alex Danvers walked out of McConners making Maggie certain it would be a three beers night instead of a two.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day had been pretty uneventful, that is if Maggie didn’t account for the three members of the DEO who showed up looking like players on a lesbian softball team.  Seemingly with pizzas and cases of beer, they were in all actuality bringing into her studio apartment components for the most high tech ‘anything’ Maggie had ever seen and considering the company she was known to keep in Gotham that was saying something. 

The get-ups, she was told, were meant to keep anyone who was still watching from figuring out why they were really there.  Maggie didn’t bother to tell them that if the place was being watched anyone showing up to visit her would seem out of the ordinary, no matter how ‘to type’ they thought they were dressed. Maggie still didn’t have friends in National City and she was pretty sure, if she didn't count the pizza delivery guy, they were the first people, other than herself, to enter the place.

However, there was a giant upside of having the ’team' there.  Instead of spending the day slowly disposing of the remains of her trashed apartment by herself, Maggie put them to work helping her bring the broken furniture and bags of damaged personal belongings down to the dumpster in the alley.  She explained that if her ‘friends’ were dropping by the best reason would be to help her pick up the place.  Surprisingly, not a single one of the agents complained. With their help the place was cleared of everything except her new air mattress, three boxes worth of undamaged clothes, one unbroken end table and chair, along with a few other items that had survived the break in.  There was still the matter of painting the place but that was as easy as shopping online for new furnishings. 

The studio looked huge with nothing in it and boy was it secure.  It wasn’t like there was a death-ray laser or anything but it was incredibly high tech.  Agent Vasquez, who had taken point on the installation, explained that not only would the DEO be alerted to any break-in but also anyone who got inside would actually not be able to leave until the DEO arrived to arrest them.  The system emitted some kind of technology; Maggie was certain wasn’t of this world, that trapped the perpetrator in the studio.  Her dating life was also nonexistent but she really needed to be careful not to invite someone over and get carried away before turning off the alarm. 

Waking up the next morning the plan was to check her bank account to see what she could reasonably replace and then jump online and order a few things to make it a little more livable.  After that she could start to repaint the walls thereby removing the hate speech sprawled on them.  Death threats made for terrible wall art but coffee came first.  

It was around nine in the morning; Maggie was leaning on the counter ignoring a small plate of eggs. She was dressed in sleep shorts and a Gotham Knights T-shirt. She had her morning cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. Sure she could have gotten her news on her tablet but there was something about the tradition of paper and black ink bringing her world and local news as well as the previous days’ sports scores. She was reading about another loss by the Knights, who fell to the Coast City Angels, thereby pretty much guaranteeing another year without a chance at the pennant when there was a knock at the door that upended her rare second day off in a row.

Maggie put down her morning coffee and moved to the industrial sliding door that she had always thought gave the place some character and better security. How wrong she had been about the later.  Opening it, Maggie saw Agent Vasquez standing before her.  

“Sorry to bother you, but Director Henshaw has requested I bring you to headquarters,” the agent informed her.  

There wasn’t even an attempt to hide her frustration.  “Seriously?”

“Sorry.”

Maggie shook her head. “Well, come on in.  I’ll need to get cleaned up.  There is coffee in the pot and one other mug in the cupboard next to the sink.  Help yourself. I’ll try to be quick.”

“Nice of you to offer.”

“That’s me, nice.” Maggie said as she slid the door back into place, made her way to grab clothing to change into from the boxes by the air mattress and then headed into the bathroom to clean up.

\- - - 

When they arrived at the DEO, Maggie was searched, required to check her weapon and her cell phone and then brought to a very large conference room that she noted was very different from most of the rest of the rooms they passed on their way there.  Almost every office or lab she passed was made of glass. She caught sight of agents working in traditional labs, others in offices on phones, still others vigorously hammering away at computer keyboards.  Instead, and much like the ‘interrogation’ room she had been brought to for her first meeting, this conference room was without any glass and it had one door, that when it opened creaked like what Maggie imagined doors on submarines sounded like.  The furnishings included twelve metal chairs, a large industrial looking table, a display screen, and as far as she could tell no surveillance equipment.  Whatever was going on, this was the real deal.

After maybe ten minutes, without a cellphone, or pad of paper, or anything to distract from the passage of time, the door finally opened and Supergirl made her way inside.  “Nice to see you again, Detective Sawyer,” the hero said as she extended a hand.

Maggie stood from the chair at the head of the table that she had been sitting in and moved to shake Supergirl’s hand.  “Good to see you.  I’m guessing from the make up of this place, and you being here, there is a lead.”

“I’m not actually sure.  I was called in without any details.”

“That makes two of us. I’m surprised you aren’t in the loop."

“I’m a worker bee, same as you.”

“Hardly the same,” Maggie said trying her best not to stare.

Supergirl noticed the attention.  “Is there something you wish to ask me, Detective?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve met my fair share of 'unique people' but you’re the first alien.”

“Do I pass your test?”

Maggie laughed. “With flying colors.”

“I’m happy to hear that.  I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting Gotham’s passionate defenders of their city.  I understand the Bat and his associates have managed to do a good job helping restore order.  My cousin speaks very highly of them."

Maggie had forgotten that Supergirl was related to the Man of Steel. “When I started at Gotham PD the city was a war zone with all the guns, violence, and corruption. Since they took to the streets things have stabilized. There are occasional overly enthusiastic lunatics that try to band together and make a name for themselves but that’s not much different than any big city these days.”

"I'm glad the people of Gotham have heroes they can count on."

"Not every city is so lucky but from what I've heard that is changing."

"For the better." Supergirl said, finishing Maggie's thought. "Are you enjoying National City?"

"I enjoy the work."

"There has to be more to it than just the work.  National City has a lot to offer."

"Is Supergirl telling me she gets weekends off where she enjoys socializing with friends at Sharks’ games?"

“Actually, I do have friends,” Supergirl said with sincerity in her tone. “Perhaps some day I will count you among them."

"Careful Supergirl or I might mistake this conversation for flirting,” Maggie said, not meaning to be the one really flirting but it amused her and helped pass the time.

The laugh the comment evoked was infectious, and the hero’s reaction almost shy.  "I heard you were bold."

"Who is talking about me behind my back?"

“Your ex and I are in the same line of work." Supergirl offered. 

The response was in no way something Maggie expected.  She knew that the DEO would have known that she and Kate had been together. It wasn’t a secret in Gotham that the Detective and the socialite were an item.  After the conversation with Alex the other evening she supposed that they could have discovered Kate’s identity as Batwoman or that Kate had revealed her connection to Maggie when she reached out to the Man of Steel on Maggie’s behalf. It obviously didn’t seem likely, from Supergirl’s earlier comment, she knew Batwoman.  

For some reason, a tiny warning alarm was going off in the detective’s head. She wasn’t sure but could it be Alex that Supergirl was somehow referring. No matter who it was it wasn’t something Maggie wanted to discuss so she veered away from the comment the only way she knew how, with sarcasm. "Well, if they are my ex, I suppose I could be called far worse than bold."

"A good way to look at it."

It was time for a fast change in the topic.  “So why all the interest in me?”

“To pass the time?"

“I somehow doubt that,” Maggie offered, suspiciously.

Supergirl nodded.  “You caught me. I like to get to know the people I’m working with. There have been issues in the past with trust around here.  So by getting to know you better I can be assured that you not only have my back, but more importantly that of the agents of the DEO.”

Something about the tone made Maggie wonder if she had some alien lie detector she didn’t know she had.  The questioning didn't feel like small talk, nor did it seem like some crazy trust exercise. So what was it Supergirl was digging for? Before Maggie could work to expose her possible motives, the door opened and director Henshaw and Alex walked in.  

“Thank you both for coming,” Henshaw said as he moved around the table with a tablet in his hand. “Sorry it was such short notice.”

“Break in the case?” Maggie asked.

“Indeed,” he replied and then nodded to Alex. “Can we get our other guest on the line?"

Alex aimed her watch at the display screen. As it turned on, the identity of the other guest was obvious. The iconic view from inside the Oval Office and the President of the United States sitting behind her desk.

"It's good to see you Madam President," Henshaw said as he gestured for everyone else to take a seat at the table.

"Might you make introductions,” the leader of the free world requested.

 ”Of course. You know Supergirl.”

“Yes, wonderful to see you.”

Henshaw continued. “To my right, Agent Alex Danvers, she will be taking lead on the investigation as this moves forward. To my left, Detective Maggie Sawyer from the NCPD Meta Human task force.”

The president smiled, “You’re the one who brought us the final piece of the puzzle. Your country thanks you, detective.”

Maggie was trying to come up with something, anything, that made her seem smart and composed but all she managed to say was, “You’re welcome,” which she supposed was better than saying something completely dumb or something that revealed her fan girl admiration for the country’s first female president.

She had followed the President’s career going back to her time as a very well respected civil rights attorney who then continued to keep up her commitment to human rights while serving five terms in the US Senate. Usually never one to get all that politically involved, Maggie had actually spent what little time she had between work and being with Kate volunteering for the campaign’s Gotham headquarters during her run for the White House. She didn’t get much in the way of sleep during those days but it was well worth it the night of the election as she watched the numbers come in.   The country couldn’t have been in better hands.

 ”So what do you have for us, Madam President?” the director asked.

“After Detective Sawyer’s information was swept into the data your team had already collected, it was merged with the F.B.I.’s domestic intelligence on the threats as well as that from my own secret service team. We think we have a possible lead.”

“On the ring leader?” Supergirl asked.

“Sadly, no, but we can say with very strong certainty that the perpetrators of the crimes against Detective Sawyer’s Meta and the other murdered victims were mercenaries.”

 Alex looked confused. “They must be very skilled to have committed the murders in question.”

“Precisely,” the President replied. “Especially when we added to the equation Detective Sawyer’s murdered teenager and his abilities. It was the break we needed and this is where it gets even more complicated. The analysis we came back with has an eighty seven percent probability that the killers in question are also ‘gifted’ individuals and they are working as a team.”

Maggie found herself addressing the entire group instead of processing the news silently. “How could that line up?”

“The person or person’s wishing for the eradication of Meta and alien life on Earth went out and hired the only people capable of actually hunting those people down.”

“Other people with powers,” Supergirl said finishing the thought.

The President nodded. “Director Henshaw, I’ve had the F.B.I. send over to you, the Top Secret Confidential Intel on the possible suspects. Based on the forensic evidence, the autopsies on the victims, and the nature of the powers we were dealing with, the list isn’t very large and many have ties to a criminal operation referred to as Intergang. We’ve provided you with what we have on that group as well.”

“Intergang?” Maggie said leaning forward.

“Yes, Detective, the same Intergang that is believed responsible for the influx of strange weapons in Gotham before Batman and his allies moved them out. This news will also add someone else to the protective detail while I’m in National City.”

“Who?” Henshaw asked as he swiped at the tablet in his hand.

“One of the group’s former leaders, Bruno Manheim, was brought down by a journalist investigation headed up by CatCo Worldwide Media. Cat Grant is scheduled to be getting the exclusive interview with myself and Supergirl before and after the ceremony.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Alex said and then looked in the direction of Supergirl in a way that was less an acceptance of an order and instead seemed more personal.

“Good. I’ve got to get on a call with the Prime Minister of Sweden. I’ll leave you to get up to speed.”

“Very good, Madam President,” Director Henshaw said.

“Oh, and Director Henshaw, considering the unique nature of this, I feel it’s only fair, since Detective Sawyer has been approved for Top Secret clearance related to this investigation that she receive full access to everything related including who she is reporting to on this case.”

Henshaw nodded. “Understood.”

“Secret Service and F.B.I. will be available to your team once you are up to speed. I will see you all in National City at the end of the week. Until then, thank you all for your hard work.”

The screen went dark and the room went silent for a moment.

Maggie needed to be the one to break the silence. “I get you three do this all the time but that was the President of the United States.”

Supergirl laughed, Director Henshaw nodded, and Alex smiled in a way that made it hard for Maggie to look away.

“What did she mean by knowing who I am reporting to?”

The director stood from his chair. “As far as the rest of the world is concerned by name is Hank Henshaw and I am the director of the DEO. Inside the walls of this building my entire team knows me as J’onn J’onzz.”

“I’m missing something here,” Maggie said staring at the director.

“It’s easier to show you,” the director said and then his eyes glowed red.

Maggie found it difficult to keep her cool but remained seated as the man who a moment before was standing before her in a black shirt and pants morphed into a towering green alien with a black suit and red X across his chest.

“Welcome to the inner circle, Detective Sawyer.”

“I, guess,” Maggie said carefully. “I should say thank you for trusting me with this.”

Hank, or she supposed J’onn, morphed back into his previous form. “Secrets make for too many complications. The President was right to have me reveal myself to you. Now you are aware that there will be more than Supergirl’s powers on site when we try to smoke out these mercenaries.”

“Powers, huh?”

Supergirl interjected. “Useful ones.”

“Good to know. So now what?”

The director handed over his tablet to Alex. “You and Agent Danvers will stay here to start reviewing the suspect files provided by the President while Supergirl and I go and visit Cat Grant.”

Maggie reluctantly nodded although not as reluctantly as she swore she saw Supergirl nod. It was amusing to see someone who could help land airplanes and stop bullets seem to mope.

“I’ll have Agent Vasquez bring in another tablet with the Intel uploaded to it. Let’s try and see if we can apprehend the responsible parties before this event at the end of the week. Supergirl?”

“See you both soon,” the hero said as she followed the director out of the conference room once again leaving Maggie and Alex alone.

After the door clicked shut Maggie relaxed. “So your boss is an alien.”

“Yep.”

“Things are certainly way more interesting here than I imagine they were working in a lab.”

“Yep. I told you so,” Alex said looking up from the tablet this time with another smile.

Maggie felt the room light up but she refused to allow herself to bask in it. “I guess it’s time to hunt down some mercenaries.”

   


	5. Chapter 5

The entire ride over to CatCo Hank had been on the phone getting Lucy Lane, who was away dealing with bureaucrats, up to speed. The two of them had been working well together. They complimented one another's strengths and weaknesses and knew how to divide and conquer. Lucy was certainly the stronger diplomat, likely thanks to her upbringing, so when Capitol Hill called she answered. 

With Hank working, Kara was left to her own thoughts, which, of course, focused on Cat being pulled into the Intergang investigation. Kara appreciated the President wanting to see Cat protected but there was no way she was going to just say 'thank you' for a protection detail and go about her day. She would want every last detail and then would insist on investigating which, if she wasn’t already, would place her on the radar of assassin mercenaries and/or make the target on her back larger. Kara didn't like this upfront tactic one bit. 

When they arrived at CatCo, Kara couldn't remain silent about it. "Can't I just keep an eye on Ms. Grant without her knowing?" Kara, dressed for work, asked as the elevator door closed. 

Hank shook his head. "We both know with you no longer her assistant any protection you could offer she would spot a mile away."

"Not if it was Supergirl."

"Especially if it came from Supergirl. You would stand out like a sore thumb and she would still want to know what was going on. We, as of yet, have no idea who we are dealing with and having Cat Grant alert only makes her safer."

"So how are going to explain me being in this meeting," Kara said, indicating her cream-colored sweater and tan skirt. 

"By blaming you," Hank offered matter of factly. 

"Excuse me."

Hank handed over his DEO tablet. "Take this and read it." 

Kara took the tablet and absorbed the Intel provided by the White House. In the time it took the elevator to go one floor she was finished reading the dense documentation that would probably take Alex and Detective Sawyer all day to review. 

As she looked up at him, Hank continued. "You were looking into rumors of a rash of murders against Metas, thinking it might make for an investigative piece. This led you to the conclusion that the only people skilled enough to accomplish such things would be other Metas. You started digging..."

"And Intergang became a line of inquiry."

"Exactly."

"Making me a target,” Kara said as she pointed at her self. 

Hank nodded. "Which pinged at DEO and we are placing you under protection."

"So with my connection to CatCo Worldwide, and her connection to the previous Intergang takedown, it's an additional precaution."

"Just enough truth to be plausible." Hank pointedly concluded.

"She still won't like it."

"No, she won't, but I believe she will agree to it in order to protect her empire and her favorite former assistant."

"She will want to chase down the leads we say I was working on."

Hank nodded again. "I'm counting on it. Cat Grant has unique experience with this group. Her knowledge could prove very useful."

Kara really didn't like that idea. "We would be placing her in even more danger."

"With a protection detail she has agreed to have in place. See, it’s a perfect plan."

"I know you think you can manipulate her, but don't underestimate her."

"We won't."

Kara took a deep breath. The use of ‘we’ didn’t go unnoticed. She was as much on the hook as the DEO trying to protect the smartest human Kara knew. This wasn't going to be easy to weave their little white lie. During the previous year, Cat Grant had nearly figured out Kara's identity as Supergirl. They had convinced her by having J’onn shape-shift that Kara wasn’t Supergirl but there were days that Kara was convinced Cat, somehow, still knew the truth. 

The elevator door dinged indicating they had reached the correct floor and Kara handed back the tablet and took a sip from coffee in her hand that she got in the lobby. It was her standard arrival prop, same as her plain clothing and lead lined glasses.

As they moved towards the bullpen, Winn caught sight of them and started to get up to meet them. Hank shook his head and Winn shrunk back down into his chair. Even while wearing his Hank Henshaw human form, J'onn could intimate people with such ease or at least could intimidate Winn. 

The computer IT wiz was moonlighting with the DEO and Kara knew it was going to turn into more soon. His security clearance was taking longer due to his father's criminal activities but there was no way that was going to keep the DEO from successfully recruiting the young man. He had proved too indispensable during recent global events. She smiled at the thought of her friend having to face Hank every day at work. 

Inside the glass enclosed office, Kara could see Cat feverishly wielding her pen on what she imaged was the latest issue of the glossy that was due to go to print by the end of the day. The timing of this conversation couldn't be worse. 

Outside of Cat's office, her newest assistant was playing on his phone. Kara knew this one wouldn't last either, same as the last seventeen assistants Cat had hired and fired in the time since Kara had been moved to a new position. As Kara walked past him and opened the door to the office, with Director Hank Henshaw at her side, he hadn’t even looked up from his phone. She would certainly fire him the moment they left.

Cat didn't look up from what she was doing at the quiet sound of her office door opening. "I said no interruptions unless the White House was calling back with the schedule for the end of the week."

"Sorry to bother you, Ms. Grant but there is a situation."

"Kiera, why is everything with you always a situation," Cat said as she lifted her head from her work. "Oh, I see we have a guest."

Hank gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry to have to interrupt your day, Ms. Grant but we need to speak." 

"I can always make time for members of a not so secret government organization, even when it's a deadline day." The sarcasm was dripping from her words. 

Kara always marveled at how Cat could manage to be both welcoming and utterly annoyed at the same time. 

"I will try and be very brief."

"Please take a seat. Can I offer you anything?"

Kara without giving it any thought moved to the refreshments Cat had in her office and poured her the lemon water that was usually what her boss drank during meetings. 

"No, I'm fine," Hank, said. 

"So what do I owe this interruption?"

Kara moved back to where they were sitting and handed Cat the water. 

She took it without taking her eyes off Henshaw. "Kiera, would you please take a seat your fidgeting is not only distracting but making me think you've gone and done something I'm not going to like."

It was a lucky break and an easy inroad to enact Hank's plan. Kara took a seat. "Well, Ms. Grant about that."

Cat placed the untouched water glass down on the coffee table in front of them. "Yes?" She drew out the word like it had way more than one syllable.

"You've done a commendable job giving Ms. Danvers a promotion," Hank said as he obviously caught on and started to thread the lie. "But she's perhaps a little too good at her new job."

"Flattery and insults raise the same question: What do you want?" Cat said.

Kara knew they were in trouble. Cat was pulling from famous quotes, which meant she was especially annoyed.

"Ms. Danvers, has been digging into a series of unexplained deaths that point to murders, both here in National City as well as other cities, and it seems she's caught the attention of some very dangerous individuals that the DEO believes you are familiar with."

"Go on," Cat said staring daggers through Kara, silently demanding she explain. 

Playing with the fabric on her skirt, Kara kept her eyes anywhere but at Cat until the very end of her explanation. "There were whispers that the new NCPD Meta task force was investigating suspicious deaths of Metas. I started digging around and found they had a growing number of them. Digging further it pointed to murder."

"Continue."

Kara could tell from Cat's body language, and her quickening heart rate, her curiosity was peaked. "It seems, maybe, possibly, I turned over the wrong rock," Kara said with one of her smile shrugs.

"What kind of rock, Kara?"

Cat had gotten her name right. Her curiosity was peaked, all right. 

"Your intrepid reporter may have gotten the attention of Intergang, Ms. Grant." Hank said with a tone that made it very clear he knew the woman's connection to the criminals in question. 

"Really?" The word had more than two syllables as Cat reached for the water and took a sip.

"Director Henshaw showed up at my apartment this morning. He said it's a big deal."

"It is, Kara," Cat said while still keeping her eyes fixed on the director. "What are you doing to protect her?"

"She will have a detail with her at all times but we would also like to place one here at CatCo as well as on you Ms. Grant."

"Excuse me?"

"Your efforts led to the taking down of Bruno Mannheim. If our Intel is correct, and we believe it is, Ms. Danvers has gotten the attention of Intergang, and so, as she is your employee, you are therefore, once again, getting the attention of Intergang."

"I was perfectly capable of protecting myself the last time, Director."

Hank raised an eyebrow. "From the information I was provided, Superman was perfectly capable of protecting you that time, Ms. Grant."

Kara saw the shift in Cat’s body language, heard her heart quicken again, and knew Hank had stepped in it. Cat did not deal well with such direct opposition and she especially didn’t deal well with being corrected. 

It was time to shift the direction of things and fast. "Please, Ms. Grant," Kara said with just the right amount of worry in her tone. 

"Kara, you have nothing to worry about. I'm one of the richest women in the world and therefore have the best private security money can buy."

Hank leaned back against the sofa and doubled down. "Security that I recall didn't stop Livewire from nearly erasing you from existence."

"Director." Kara snapped and then turned to her boss. "Ms. Grant, please, if what I uncovered, caused you harm or caused Carter harm. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you.” 

Cat began to appear lost in thought as the beating of the older woman's heart sped up faster than the other two times and then ever so slowly it returned to its natural, calm rhythm. Kara didn't want to consider why, but she knew, as Cat turned to Hank, she was going to begrudgingly agree to the protective detail. 

"Okay, Director Henshaw, you have my permission but under two conditions."

"And those would be?"

Cat stood and began to walk towards her desk. "Under no circumstance is my son to notice your team's presence. I don't care how we accomplish it but he needs to keep his routine intact. Anything obvious will cause him too much discomfort."

"Agreed and number two?"

"This story belongs exclusively to CatCo Worldwide Media." Standing in front of her desk, staring down at Hank, Kara saw how it was that Cat Grant had become the powerful businesswoman she was today. She was unflinchingly in control at all times. 

"We can't have you printing anything about this. It will compromise the investigation," Hank said sternly but Kara knew it was just an act because she knew Cat would never compromise anything and she knew Hank had expected this before they had even walked in the room. 

"I'm not saying I'm tossing out the issue on my desk to rush an expose on the resurgence of Intergang, director. I'm saying that when there is an eventual apprehension of the criminals in question, likely with the assistant of Supergirl,” Cat said, pointedly. “Kara gets the exclusive."

"Me?" Kara said, caught completely off guard. 

Cat was in mentor mode. "You started this. You get the byline."

Before Kara had a chance to speak again, Hank jumped in. "I'll have to confirm with those that I report to but I don't think that is an unreasonable request as long as this stays in this room, between only the three of us, until things are wrapped up." 

"Then, conditioned on that piece being approved, we have an agreement."

"Wonderful. Ms. Danvers' detail is on their way now,” Hank said as he stood. “We will get your detail sent over as well. If you can assist us in placing all of them within the company in non-essential positions it will make it easier for them to blend."

"Kiera will help clean up her mess by helping me find them tactically beneficial departments that also, of course, help me. Can't have them just pretending to make photocopies all day."

Kara nodded and Hank did as well. 

"Wonderful,” Cat said, her arms making a sarcastically celebratory gesture. “Then we have an agreement."

"Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with me, Ms. Grant. We will do everything to neutralize this threat."

"Of course you will."

"I'll walk the director out," Kara said as she stood. "And then come back to help draw up assignments."

"Yes you will, Kiera."

"Have a good day, Ms. Grant." Hank said with a nod. 

"Find them director," Cat replied with a serious tone Kara hadn't heard from her since the world almost ended. 

The pair of them left the office and moved back thru the bullpen. Winn tried to catch Kara and Hank's eye as they moved thru the room. This time it was Kara who shook her head no. 

When they reached the elevator Hank smiled at her. "Well, done Kara. Those puppy dog eyes of yours might be your real super power."

Kara pushed her glasses up onto her nose and could feel her self blush. "It's just that I know her well and know what buttons shouldn't be pushed, ever."

"Which is exactly why I pushed them. We will have agents here within the hour. Keep them as close to her as possible including in her off hours. I would suggest she sends her normal driver on a paid vacation and if she has any household staff one of them should also take a break. Perhaps her son has a tutor?"

"You don't think he would be at risk?"

"It’s something I didn't consider until you mentioned him. All of this might be a simple precaution. They might not care being that they are mercenaries hired to kill Metas but revenge against Cat Grant could be a bonus for them if any were loyal to Mannheim. Better to cover all the bases."

"I'll ask her about everything. Carter has some special needs and change doesn't sit well with him so perhaps focusing elsewhere, like if she has a personal chef or trainer, would allow them both protection without it upsetting him."

The elevator arrived and Hank stepped in. "Report in at the end of the day. I'm going to go check in on Alex and Detective Sawyer. Stay alert."

"Always."

The elevator closed and Kara turned back to head to Cat's office. This time Winn was waiting for her before she reached the bullpen. 

"Okay, what was that about?" He said in a whisper.

"Stuff going on that is going to require Cat have a protection detail."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Can't explain right now but we will be getting a few new CatCo employees by the end of the day."

"Like uniquely trained in things like hand to hand combat and sharp shooting? Perhaps also a few who are great with computers? Can you grab me someone to help in IT? This new site integration is kicking our department in the ass."

"I'll see what I can do but first I have to go face the music."

Winn placed a hand on Kara's shoulder. "You got this."

"Yep," Kara said taking a deep breath, handing over to him her now empty coffee cup, and then walking into Cat's office. 

When Kara got inside she could see Cat pouring herself something far stronger than the lemon water Kara had brought her. With two, what looked to be rock glasses with straight whiskey in them in her hand, Cat indicated the sofa. "Sit."

Kara closed the door and then sheepishly moved through the office and took a seat. 

Cat followed suit, handing Kara one of the glasses before she joined her on the sofa.

"Ms. Grant, its not even noon."

"We are toasting, Kara. Toasts require enormously expensive adult beverages."

"Toasting?"

"It's not every day you have a giant story that places you the hit list of criminals. Today is your first journalistic milestone."

"Shouldn't you be angry?"

Cat sipped from the glass, taking a moment to savior the warm liquid. "Don't misunderstand, I'm furious at you for not revealing to me what you were working but for getting the attention of Intergang, I'm not angry in the least. Them angry means you are on the path to breaking this story wide open. Some journalists go their whole lives without ever managing a feat like you have just managed. This only supports that my instincts about taking you away from that desk out there were correct."

"Your faith in me means a lot," Kara said pushing her glasses up again.

"Keep earning it. Oh and make sure one of these agents is trained well enough to answer my phones. That waste of space out there just let the two of you walk right in here earlier. He's fired," she yelled loud enough her current assistant turned in their direction, stood up from his chair, grabbed his coat and his cellphone, and left. 

As he walked away, Kara took a sip from the glass in her hand, remembering to shake just a little to give the impression the taste of the brown liquid had startled her senses, and realized that whichever DEO agent she made sit at that desk might never forgive her.


	6. Chapter 6

They had been digging through the divided up Intel for a couple of hours when Alex finally broke the silence. "Anything?". 

Maggie nodded, as she took a rubber band off her wrist and then pulled her hair up into a ponytail to get it out of her face. "At least one of these looks like a strong contender. They work as a team and the skill sets could account for getting a jump on a Meta who can phase thru matter."

"What skills?"

"Shape shifting for one. Not a lot of zoo animals walking around the city but still unusual enough to throw our victims off." 

"Zoo animals?"

"Reads like snakes and wolves. Here," Maggie said as she opened and then transferred the dossier on the pair to Alex's tablet. "The female seems the dominant. This Abbot fella is identified as her bodyguard but from reports it seems a cover story."

"I've got a couple of shifters in my pile as well. It's a new world."

"I remember when I first started with GPD. The biggest concern was an escaped lunatic with deep pockets and a God complex."

"Now we are dealing with shape shifting mercenaries."

Maggie swiped the screen of her tablet to the next one in her pile. "And invisible men."

"You've got an invisible man on your list," Alex seemed to pout. "Most interesting thing at my end is a bounty hunter who managed to escape capture from even Batman."

"Send that one to me."

"Umm, okay." Alex said scrolling thru the tablet. 

An alert, on the screen in Maggie's hand, gave her the file and the details in question. She glanced at it quickly. "I can make a call. Intergang has been closely tied to some of Gotham's larger crime waves. Batman and his allies might have finer details than what's in here."

"Might be worth doing. Just check with Hank first."

"Any known aliens in your stack?"

"Not yet but that might end up coming from our DEO data on that crashed prison ship,” Alex said and then lifted her coffee mug to her lips. 

"So you think we might be dealing with more people than what the White House sent?"

Alex put the mug back down. "Unless you've come across any alien members of Intergang, we are still missing a lead on our only known forensic clue that ties the cases together."

"How did that present at the crime scenes?"

"In every case, including the inputting and analysis of the forensics on your recent victim, the alien matter was found on the hilt of the knives."

"The one holding the messages in place?"

"Yes."

"Christ." The grim news that the knives were carrying the alien matter was enough for the both of them to stop talking and get back to reviewing the suspect list provided by the White House. 

It wasn't all work though, as Maggie kept noticing Alex watching her. It was maybe another five minutes later that Alex placed her tablet on the table and spoke, "Why did you really leave Gotham?"

There were lots of things Maggie thought might be bouncing around in Alex's mind, that wasn't one of them. Did she tell the whole truth or just enough and end the line of questioning so they could focus on work?

"It's okay. We don't have to talk about it. Forget I asked."

Maggie dropped the tablet in her hand onto the table out of frustration. Might as well play with fire. "No, we don't get to forget you asked. Say it Alex, ask me what you really want to ask me."

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make this difficult. I've wondered for years what direction your life took and now here you are, sitting there, across the table from me, like no time has gone by, and it's confusing and amazing."

The honesty was a lot and took the spark out of Maggie's abrupt anger. "I took the job cause it was a great opportunity."

"I hear an 'and' in there." 

"And," Maggie said, pointedly, the honesty forcing its way out. "Because my relationship had imploded. Happy?"

"Would you believe me if I said, no?" Alex said staring at her with compassion. 

"Yes," Maggie said returning the look. "I would."

"I'm sorry, Maggie." There was a pause, a lengthy pause. "Did you love her?"

The question seemed draped in more than just sympathy or Alex's desire to learn more about Maggie's life in Gotham. The more distant past was weaving between each word and so Maggie returned the honesty and more importantly the eye contact. "Yes."

Alex's way of shaking off the answer was something most people would miss but Maggie didn't. "Good."

They held each other's eyes, neither one of them breaking the contact until the door to the conference room creaked open, breaking the spell. 

"Sorry, ma’am," Vasquez said from the doorway. "The director is back and has requested I head over to CatCo Worldwide to begin heading up the protection detail for Cat Grant."

Alex blinked back to reality. "Thanks for checking in."

"Detective, Agent Dennis will take you home when you are finished here."

"Sure. Fine. Thanks." Maggie said as she tried but failed to dig back into reviewing the Intel.

"Tell Dennis I'll take care of it." Alex instructed. "I have to head that way."

Vasquez nodded. "Okay. Have a nice evening."

"You too," Maggie said without looking up from the screen she was pretending to read. 

As the door behind her clicked shut, Maggie knew, had not been for the interruption, she would have taken that step off the cliff. 

\---  
How had they gotten here? The pair of them were, again, sitting in the back booth at McConners, reviewing the menu as silently as they had finished the rest of the afternoon at DEO. It had been a very bad idea to say yes when Alex asked about buying Maggie dinner but she had said yes and now here they were. 

"Okay, this menu is nuts," Alex said taking a drink from the beer in front of her. 

"I warned you."

"I thought you were exaggerating. I've seen reports filled out in triplicate smaller than this."

"Everything they serve is good. What are you in the mood for?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"Burger and fries."

Maggie smiled, tried to ignore the irony, and then flipped Alex's menu to page three and pointed. "That one." 

Alex nodded. "Okay. What are you having?"

"The same," Maggie said and then turned to Terry who was dropping two plates on a table by the bar. "Two of 'the' burgers. Medium."

Terry turned to her and yelled back. "From the tired looks the both of you are giving me I'm assuming the fries and not the salad."

"You assume right," Alex confirmed. 

"Coming up."

Maggie shut her menu, sat back against the booth, and took a long drink from the pint glass in front of her. "Long day."

"It was but we managed to narrow things down."

"Hopefully enough to be ready for what's coming."

"I have every faith we will figure it all out."

Maggie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips as she put her drink back on the table. 

"What?"

"This is ridiculous. Us. Here. Together."

Alex shrugged. "It's surprising, maybe."

"Surprising and ridiculous."

"Nice," Alex said, sounding offended. 

"Alex, come on. Take two seconds out of this bubble world you keep yourself locked in and admit it. This is ridiculous and I don't mean in the funny way."

Despite the unintentional judgment the comment had inferred, Alex actually smiled. "Are we talking impossible, or are we talking bizarre, or perhaps just meaningless?" The final word, showing off of her book-smart mind, seemed pointed. 

"All of the above."

"Ok, maybe, but certainly not bad."

"No, not bad,” Maggie said as she tried not to make the grab for her beer too obvious an attempt to change the dynamic between them. Alarms were going off in Maggie's brain. She needed to change the subject but working through theories for top secret cases, tied to high level security clearance, that introduced her to an alien running a government agency, didn't seem the kind of thing one did in neighborhood restaurants. She supposed generalities were safe. 

Before she could attempt to bounce work related ideas off Alex, Maggie's phone rang. She didn't have to have the number logged into her new DEO issued cell to know whom it was. "I should take this. The information we were looking for."

Alex nodded

"Hey," Maggie said as she triggered the call. "Got anything for me."

"Hello to you too, Mags." The voice of her ex, Kate Kane greeted her. 

"Sorry. Long day. Hey, Kate. So anything."

Maggie knew without having to see her face that Kate was rolling her eyes. "He doesn't like this news one bit and after he filled me in, neither do I. If what you have is on point, this is a big deal."

"It’s on point."

Alex was trying to look casual, flipping thru her menu while drinking her beer, but failing miserably. 

"Then there is no way you can handle this on your own," Kate continued. "They are formidable on their own but if there is a combination of heavy hitters working this together, this is really bad."

"Which is why I'm not working alone on this. The people you helped me get in touch with are handling much of the heavy lifting." Alex said, defensively and then took another sip of her drink.

"Let them lift the whole thing, Maggie."

"We both know that's not happening, Kate."

"Your ex's DEO team can handle things."

"Excuse me?"

"That little government agency thinks it can dig me up without a little equal opportunity uncovering? It took Oracle all of about an hour to find out whom he hooked you up with in National City. The rest I filled in myself. Imagine my surprise, hell, I would guess, imagine your surprise. You might want to tell their IT people they need a few more firewalls."

"I'll pass that along,” Maggie said keeping her tone as unemotional as possible. “Is there anything he has that would help or not?"

Kate sighed in that way that telegraphed to Maggie she would get what she asked. "There is. He's having Oracle drop it on their servers now so they can run it against anything they have so far."

"Thank you, Kate."

"Just promise me you'll not try and be the hero."

"That's what Supergirl is for."

"We both know you run towards trouble and not from it."

"I was smart enough to look for back up on this. Maybe I'm learning."

"Or maybe you were growing impatient, so you thought calling in bigger guns would speed up your ability to take them down."

"Something we've always had in common, Kate."

"You need anything I'm on the first flight," her ex said, with her concern obvious.

"We've got this… but thanks."

"I miss you."

It wasn’t easy but Maggie let the sentiment roll off her. "Stay safe."

"Yep," Kate said, sadly.

"Night." Maggie concluded and then hung up the phone while trying not to let the personal moments from the conversation sink in. They were right for each other on so many levels but so very wrong on so many others. 

"Anything?" Alex asked.

"Um, yeah. She said your IT might want to add more to your firewalls and her team dropped new stuff onto your servers."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. His team is skilled. I've seen the kinds of things they can dig up. It's why I suggested we reach out."

"Did she say where it was dropped?"

"No, but I would guess right where everything else is living related to the case. They would have made it easy since they wanted us to find it.” Maggie again reached for her glass. “Have them look for something that might have a subset using the word Oracle. It will pop."

"Two burgers with fries," Terry said as he placed the plates in front of both of them. "And since you both looked like you could use it, another round."

"Thanks," Alex said with a polite smile. "Very much appreciated."

"Yeah, thanks Terry."

He dropped the check on the table. "No rush. We are going to be late tonight prepping for tomorrow. Take your time. If you need anything else just yell."

"Will do." Maggie said, quickly drinking the rest from her nearly empty beer and then handing him the pint glass before he walked away. 

Alex then pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent off a fast message. 

Maggie began to throw some condiments on her burger and then started eating. Alex quickly followed suit, topping off her first bite of the burger with a noise that under different circumstances might have telegraphed a very different experience. 

"Okay, what is in this burger?" Alex asked after swallowing. 

Maggie laughed. "Neither one of them will tell me. It's some crazy combination of the meat they use and the spices."

"We could order one and take it to the lab."

"Don't think I haven't considered it."

As they both ate, Maggie reflected on the conversation with Kate. Obviously, it was nice of her to track down the information, and obviously, Maggie knew the request was going to come with some emotional strings but she hadn't counted on Kate tracking down that Alex worked for the DEO or the playing of the not so subtle jealousy card. 

The relationship she and Kate had was filled with a lot of passion that manifested itself in as many negative ways as positive. Kate could run around the city being a Bat vigilante but most mornings, as Maggie was leaving their bed, it was always some degree of argument about the dangers of working for GPD. Maggie understood that Kate had experienced a lot of loss in her life and so it made her hang on extra tight but eventually it grew stifling and the double standard infuriating. It was crazy to think the two most substantial relationships of her life were bookending her present. Both, in their own way, were dynamic, capable, powerful, sexy women. The problem was one held on too tight and the other refused to let herself hold on at all. 

Alex phone beeped, pulling Maggie from her thoughts. 

"Hank says they got it and to thank them for the information."

"I'll pass it along."

"Might be weird cause it’s me but if you want to talk about it," Alex offered as she lifted her beer to her lips finishing the first glass. 

"You're right. It would be weird."

"Understood."

\---

Work was off limits to talk about in public and personal was most definitely not going to be discussed, so the conversation had turned to, of all things, politics. The pair of them found a lot of common ground on the issues facing the state in the midterm elections with Maggie offering a perspective from the local level while Alex offered up some stuff related to the interaction between state and federal. They both planned on being party loyal and hoped to see the incumbent candidate unseated by an upstart newbie, from their party, who had strong ideas, sound judgment, and a real passion for the work. By the time the conversation was over, their meals were long eaten, and the place was empty. 

"I should head out," Maggie said sliding out of the booth. "I have to pretend to hate a presidential protection assignment I get tomorrow morning."

"And I've got new information to comb through."

"I'm assuming Hank, or whomever is dropping by headquarters, will get me back to base by mid day to help."

"Probably after we all meet up for the sight-visit with the secret service advance team." 

"Oh a field trip,” Maggie said after taking a final drink of her second beer. 

Alex pulled cash from her wallet and dropped way more than she needed to cover the meal and the tip.

“Let me get some of it."

"No, I said I was taking you to dinner. I've got this."

"Well, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Maggie moved to the kitchen door and swung it open. "Hey, guys we are heading out. Lock up behind us."

"Will do." Terry yelled back from the kitchen. "See you tomorrow night."

Maggie laughed. "As always."

"Leave room for dessert." Dhara interjected. "I promise it will be worth it."

"I look forward to it. Night you two."

"Goodnight,” the couple said in unison.

As Maggie let the door swing shut she watched a little too closely as Alex put on her black leather jacket. It hugged her perfectly. Damn, that second beer. Moving towards and then past her, Maggie headed to the door and grabbed the key from the third shelf of the bar. She used it to unlock the deadbolt and then turned the other lock and opened the door. 

Alex came up behind her just as Maggie put the key back up on the shelf. "It's almost like this is your home."

"In some ways it is," Maggie said. She hadn't intended it to be as sad as it sounded. It actually felt good to have some place in the city that she genuinely enjoyed spending time in. 

Outside, the night air was crisp. Fall was certainly upon them. It was still warmer than it would have been in say, Gotham, but cool for this part of the country this early in the season. Not entirely dressed for the weather, Maggie rubbed her bare arms. 

"Still can't quite figure out weather appropriate attire, huh?" Alex teased. 

"Never used to get this cold, this early in the fall."

"Welcome to climate change," Alex said as she pulled her keys from her jacket pocket, turned the alarm off on her car, and released the locks with a push of a button. 

"Thanks for getting dinner."

"Thanks for agreeing to join me."

"Best burgers in town. Impossible to say no." The words fell out of Maggie’s mouth without thinking. 

Alex suddenly looked sad. "I'll see you tomorrow." She then put out her hand to shake. "It's really good working with you."

Her heart hammering in her chest, Maggie took Alex's hand in hers. They didn't shake hands. They didn't move at all. They just stood, their hands linked together. "It's good working with you,” The words were slow and deliberate. “Despite everything, Alex, I always wanted what was best for you."

"That's all I ever wanted for you. It's why..." Alex's words trailed off. 

"It's why, what?" Maggie forced her feet to stay put, despite an overwhelming desire to close the distance between them. 

"Just wish it wasn't so hard to have my own life."

"Hard?" Maggie said, releasing her hold on the other woman's hand and immediately knowing she couldn't stop her mouth from speaking her mind. The moment was gone as quickly as it had happened. "Seriously, Alex. You know what's hard? Being a kid from a bad neighborhood who ends up dead cause of who he was. Or burying your nephew cause all he wanted in the world was to help people. What happened to those victims and their families, that's hard. What you've got going on inside of that beautiful head of yours is something else entirely. Look, I'll see you tomorrow." 

Moving past Alex, Maggie shoved her hands in her pockets not to keep them warm but to keep them from shaking. As she moved down the street she heard the door to Alex's car open and then loudly slam shut. 

Maggie had to force herself to not turn around and go back. 

\-------


	7. Chapter 7

Despite her mind in over drive, Maggie did manage to turn off the alarm without incident. After closing the sliding door, she relocked it from the inside and then tossed her keys and her wallet into a plastic bowl she had sitting on the one remaining end table. Turning on the rest of the lights she was greeted by her nearly vacant apartment and the blood scrawled hate speech. She really wished she had been able to stay home today and paint. Sure, she had spoken to the president but the rest of the day had been crap. 

Turning the alarm to the mode that monitored the place in a way that indicated someone was inside, Maggie then made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She turned the water as hot as she could stand it and still she was wired. Following two days of very little sleep, dealing with both Kate and Alex made her short tempered and over sensitive. 

Freshly showered and having thrown back on her shorts and Knights t-shirt, she climbed under the covers of her air mattress. Staring at the ceiling, almost able to make out the shape of the fan above because of the light casting through the window from the full moon, Maggie tried, but couldn’t stop her mind from drifting.

\---

It was nearly Thanksgiving break, which wasn't exactly an exciting prospect considering the family drama that followed every visit home. Had her sister not begged, Maggie would have just hung around campus where it would have been quiet and she could have gotten a jump on studying up for the end of her second to last semester. She had made a promise though, so instead she would be on her way to Nebraska in a few days with the upside, getting to enjoy her father's fantastic cooking.

In the meantime, she had decided she would lay low, sticking to classes and her apartment. That didn’t last long however, after she met and immediately invited a woman, she met while shopping at the grocery store, to join her to watch the football game. 

The campus and surrounding town were a complete disaster as every television had been tuned in to see Stanford's victory, in overtime, over Oregon. When the number thirteen-ranked team beats the number one seed it tends to make people go a little nuts. Everyone Maggie walked past was acting like they had won the lottery, when all they had done was sit in front of the TV screaming while Hogan, Ertz, and Williamson, along with the rest of the team, had been the ones doing all the real work. 

She would have liked to think she was above it all but she had been screaming at the television like everyone else in the city until the game was over. At that point it was clear her grocery store pick up was way more interested in the bartender. So Maggie slipped out the back door to head back to her place just off campus. 

First, she had to go and get her car, which was parked near the library. Off campus living had its advantages and its disadvantages. The biggest advantage was freedom. The biggest disadvantage was when she was late to get somewhere near campus she often had to go out of her way to find parking. 

It wasn't a bad walk back to her car. It was a crisp fall evening, which, having grown up in Nebraska, still felt nice to Maggie. When she headed back to see the family it would be at least fifteen degrees cooler on a night like this one, which reminded her, she had to remember to pack her heavy coat, something she never understood why she brought out west with her in the first place. 

The parking lot next to the library was so empty that it was easy to find her blue 2003 Chevy among the nine other cars parked. If she were a betting person she would say three of the cars were from people who, like her, parked there and then headed into town. The others she guessed were the librarian, the security guard and maybe half dozen or so students who placed studying over Stanford football. 

After climbing into the car, Maggie slid her key into the ignition and found it wouldn't turn over. First, the girl she brought out tonight had decided to look elsewhere for company and now her car wouldn't start. It was a crappy end to an otherwise decent day. 

Getting back out of the car, she slammed the door shut and pulled her phone from her pocket. Maybe she would get lucky and the guy she knew from the local garage wasn't drunk or still celebrating the outcome of the game and could come help her out. He owed her after she gave him some free legal advice on a family issue. 

"Car won't start?" Said the female voice of someone, that at first, Maggie couldn't get eyes on. When she finally did, she recognized her immediately. Walking closer, the long, slightly curly haired, brunette, in a black leather jacket with her arm's again full of what looked to be science books, smiled.

"No."

"Can I see your keys for a second?"

"Sure," Maggie said, with a raise of the eyebrow, before handing over the keys. 

During the near collision in the science building the stranger had been the picture of understated studiousness and professionalism with just a hint of rebellion in the way she wore her hair down. Tonight, she still had her arms full of books but there was a much more casual air to her. Gone was the lab coat and pressed shirt, in its place a burgundy lightweight sweater, blue jeans, boots and a black leather jacket that hugged the woman's beautiful form. Her hair was still the long and curly look she had worn that day but it was more tousled like maybe she had been running her fingers through it while studying whatever was in those books in her arms.

"Here, hold this," the stranger said while dumping the books into Maggie's arms and then digging around in the bag she had on her shoulder. 

Pulling a pencil from the bag, she then dropped the bag at her feet and started using the eraser on the key. Maggie was certain she was being punked. 

"Give it a try," she said, handing the key back, as she tucked the pencil behind her ear. "Oh, sorry, let me take those back."

Maggie traded the books for the key, eyeing it and the women suspiciously, and then climbed back in her car. The key in the ignition, it turned over on the first try. "Wow."

"Some times the contacts get dirty and just need to be cleaned."

"Where did you learn that?"

"Science."

"Useful. Thanks."

"You're welcome," the woman said. "Have it checked out though, just in case. If it's more than just the contacts, the eraser trick will only work so many times. Here, take the pencil and toss it in your glove box, just in case."

"Nice of you to part with your pencil."

"I've got a few more," the woman said, with a smile Maggie hoped she was reading as being on the flirtatious side. 

"I'm Maggie Sawyer." She said taking the pencil and smiling back. 

"Alex Danvers. You know I was about to go grab food. Since I managed to get your car started, I think you should buy me dinner."

Things were looking up. "You do?"

"I do."

"Okay, Alexandra Danvers. I'm always up for meeting new people."

The beautiful science nerd picked up her bag from the ground and moved to the passenger side of the car, tossed her stuff in the backseat, and climbed in. 

"Where do you want to go?" Maggie asked. Many of the girls on campus didn't eat meat or drink dairy or took issue with nature's greatest invention, bread, so it was easier to get that out of the way before picking a place. 

"Lately, what little time I spend off campus is spent asleep at my apartment. Who makes the best burger in town?"

Maggie had the perfect place in mind but only if her new friend was up for a little adventure. "Do you have anywhere you have to be?"

"Not really," Alex said with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Up for a little road trip?"

Alex hesitated. "Sure. Yeah, why not?"

Maggie shut her car door and started to back out of her parking spot. "Then I'm going to get you the best burger around."

\---

After 40 minutes they had discussed their taste in music and in sports. Alex wasn't much of a football fan, it seemed baseball was more her game, which was why she had been spending the night working at the library. 

They had shared their fields of study. Alex was working on genetic engineering research while Maggie enlightened her about her interest in the criminal justice system and her dream of working for a well-respected firm that was a leader in civil justice. They had only briefly touched upon family, as both of them had seemed to want to avoid that topic.

When they pulled into the parking lot of a cafe, Alex burst out laughing. Maggie turned off the engine and turned to face the sexy but strange girl who had used a pencil eraser to get her car to start. "What?"

"If I told you that you just made my week, would you believe me?"

"Umm, sure. Why?"

"This is my favorite place to runaway to when I can't take school."

"Santa Cruz?"

"Well, yeah,” Alex nodded. “I guess, technically, Santa Cruz but more specifically this cafe."

"Now you're just screwing with me."

"No. I'm not. I throw my surfboard on my car. Come down before dawn, get some surfing in, and grab a late breakfast here, before getting back to school by lunch time."

"Alexandra Danvers, you are full of surprises." Maggie said opening her car door. "Let's get you that burger."

\---

While eating greasy food and getting to know one another better, Maggie found she was opening up and sharing stories of her life growing up in Nebraska and Alex had opened up about what it was like having a younger sister who was adopted and could do no wrong. 

"She can't be all bad for you to spend so much time with her now." Maggie said as she pulled the check towards her to assess the damage. 

"She's not. I know it's all about me but it's not always easy to remember that. Are you and your siblings close?"

"My sister and I are. Night and day but still thick as thieves."

"And your brother?"

"We don't speak." Maggie said pulling out twenty-five dollars and placing it with the check. 

"I’m sorry." Alex said with a tone of compassion that made it clear she meant it.

"It's okay. I got over it a long time ago.” 

“So you didn't tell me what you were up to that afternoon we nearly took each other out in the Science Building," Alex inquired. “By the way, I’m sorry about how I bolted through. I was running late.”

Maggie couldn’t help but smile. “No major injuries.”

"For a criminal justice major there aren't exactly many reasons for you being there."

"True,” Maggie admitted.

Alex stared for a moment like she was sliding puzzle pieces around. "So you were either working on a project tied to forensics or you are Dr. Elliot’s latest student 'friend'."

Maggie smiled even though it wasn't exactly discrete to do so. "I was friendly with Dr Elliot."

"Not anymore?"

"Not as of that very afternoon. I thought it was probably best we go our separate ways."

"That was probably a very good call. Rumor around the building is she typically has one student 'friend' per semester and it hasn't always ended on good terms."

"That was becoming abundantly clear," Maggie said, moving to put her jacket back on. "Should we head back?"

"Probably," Alex replied, as she put her jacket back on as well. "I can't believe we've never cross paths here before." 

Maggie started moving to the door and out to the parking lot, while Alex followed. "I tend to stop on my way back from a long ride. Must be a timing thing. I've been told I have terrible timing."

"I would say you have perfect timing," Alex offered up as she tossed her bag back into the car. 

"I don't know about that."

Alex suddenly looked serious. “Otherwise, all this would seem coincidental and there is no such thing as coincidence." 

"So what would you call tonight then?"

"You ended up outside the library just as I was leaving tonight. You ended up in the science building as I was running late for class. What would you call it?"

Maggie didn't dare say what she was thinking as she didn't want to come off too forward. Typically being forward was exactly how she was with women but there were alarms going off telling her to slow down and she didn’t dare pay attention to how hard her heart was slamming in her chest. She really liked this woman.

"Want to take a walk down to the pier?" Alex asked, pulling Maggie from her thoughts.

"It’s a little dark out there."

"Moon is full. There's enough light to get out there safely. The night sky is totally worth seeing from on that pier."

"Lead on, Alexandra."

She laughed the tiniest of laughs as they started toward the wooden pier that stretched a good many football field lengths out over the water. 

Maggie really liked the sound of that laugh. "What?"

"Nothing."

"No, you have to tell me."

"My mother is the only one who ever calls me that."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Usually, no,” Alex said, honestly. “Usually it means I've disappointed her in some way or broken a rule."

"Sorry."

"Don't. I like it when you say it," Alex said as she reached over and took Maggie's hand in hers, her thumb beginning to slowly rub the back of it. 

Maggie was glad it was dark enough for the smile on her face to remain masked. She gave it a little while and then matched the caress with her thumb. 

They walked a good long distance until the café's neon signs were merely tiny lights in the distance. Alex stopped, turned in Maggie's direction, and stared. 

Maggie didn't dare speak, didn't dare move. Moonlight lit just enough of the strange but incredibly beautiful woman before her. Their eyes were glued to one another as Alex moved in and captured Maggie's lips. The hands they had been holding dropped to pull one another close. Maggie's other hand moved thru the long curly hair as their mouths opened and tongues explored. She thought she heard Alex moan against the contact as the water crashed against the pier below them. 

As their breathing quickened and their hands started roaming and exploring more intimate places, Alex pulled away, breathless. "Sorry about that."

Maggie grinned. "No need to apologize."

"I don't normally, umm,"

"Pick up women in library parking lots, motivate them to kidnap you by driving an hour for hamburgers, where you then kiss them like the world is ending. I assure you, I'm not complaining."

Alex took Maggie's hand again. "I'm glad."

"So am I."

\---

Maggie flipped over on the air mattress frustrated. Her brain trapped in the past. She had to be up in a few hours to pretend to be annoyed about being assigned to the Presidential protective detail and all she could focus on was how good things had been.

"Damn it, Alex," she said to the darkness. 

\---

"Sawyer!" Her boss yelled into the phone in Maggie's hand. "Conference room."

Pulling away from her desk, Maggie picked up her coffee mug, which was currently holding her fourth cup in an attempt to stay awake. She headed where her superior asked her to go. It was time to put on a show. 

Opening the door, she was surprised to only see Director Henshaw standing with her Captain, who gestured to an empty chair. "Have a seat, Sawyer."

"Yes, sir. Is everything okay, sir?"

"More than okay, Sawyer. This is Agent Hank Henshaw. He's here by order of the President."

"The president, sir?" Maggie questioned, suspiciously. 

"Yes, Sawyer, the President."

Henshaw unfolded his arms and extended his hand. "It’s very nice to meet you, Detective Sawyer.”

Maggie politely accepted his hand and shook it.

“The White House asked me to speak to NCPD about additional assist for the President's visit at the end of the week."

"That is standard for a visit of such magnitude," Maggie said, taking a seat. "I worked a visit back when I was still on the beat in Gotham."

Her Captain nodded. "Which is one of the reasons why you've been special requested."

"I don't understand,” Maggie said, playing dumb.

Hank moved to where Maggie was sitting, pulled out another chair and sat. He stayed professional but the casual touch was a good move. "There are some unique things at play for this visit due to the nature of the speech."

"Rights for all people."

"Exactly. And since you've worked this detail at the local level before..."

"...And since I work Meta cases."

Hank nodded. "We are borrowing you from NCPD for the remainder of the week."

"Captain," Maggie stood. "I'm flattered, I am, but I've got a work load on my desk that three weeks of overtime couldn't get me through."

"And that inbox will be waiting for you when the week is over. Not negotiable, Sawyer. You'll grab your stuff and head out with Agent Henshaw immediately."

"But sir…" Maggie tired to argue.

"It's done, Sawyer."

Maggie nodded, while making sure she played up the defeat. 

"Car is waiting downstairs to take us for our briefing,” Hank stood up and moved back to her Captain. "Thank you again for loaning us one of your best. The secret service liaison will be by first thing tomorrow to go over things with the officers assigned to crowd control and perimeter detail."

"Anything to help, Agent." 

The two men shook hands and Hank and Maggie made their way out of the conference room together, clear to investigate things without NCPD the wiser. If only Maggie could keep her mind focused only on the work.


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't some mission to save the world that had kept Kara from getting much in the way of rest. The reason for her late night was putting pen to paper at a human speed. She could have finished what needed doing using her abilities but she didn't trust she could keep her mind as focused on the task if she had gone that route. Perhaps it was too many years of Eliza and Jeremiah insisting she do her homework like the rest of the kids in her class but it was compounded by a concern that she would make a mistake that Cat Grant would see through. There couldn't be any mistakes because revealing the white lie that brought a protection detail to her boss’s doorstep would have devastating consequences. 

First, Kara had to restructure the information Detective Sawyer had given the DEO. Her reporter notes had to look and read like facts Kara had dug up over time and in a way that didn't directly point to Sawyer being the source. Protecting the Detective's identity was important to her safety and the continuing narrative that it was Kara's digging that had gotten Intergang's attention. Kara couldn't have Ms. Grant going into investigative reporter mode so Kara needed to be thorough enough that Cat was looking backwards to her own experience with Intergang and not forwards to the details of what was in fact Kara’s phony hunt for the truth. 

It was a risky plan Hank had hatched but both he and Kara knew her boss loved nothing better than a good story. She only hoped the desire to see Kara succeed on her first byline would supersede Cat's curiosity.

Then there was the matter of Kara Danvers, sister to Alex Danvers, being the CatCo reporter pulled in to write a piece based on Maggie Sawyer's investigation. Perhaps later the Detective would write the coincidence off but at this point keeping Maggie in the dark about Hank's way of protecting Cat Grant, while trying to gain the media giant’s knowledge, was imperative. When any article went to print it would have to be presented as Ms. Grant's doing and not how Hank had set things in motion. They couldn't afford curiosity from any direction because as the old saying goes it would be bad news. 

After the notes were transcribed Kara started to lay the framework of the article. She began by breaking out what she knew, deciding to focus on the young man who sent Detective Sawyer to seek out backup on her investigation. Tomorrow Kara would be visiting the Aunt of the young man who lost his life so she could personalize it even more. Although his methods weren’t ideal he was a hero to his community and died because of his gifts. Kara felt he deserved to have his story told. 

Kara had sent Hank a copy of what she wrote and he believed it would keep Ms. Grant focused on mentoring and not investigating. It was also an easy way to give Cat details that might line up with her experience and therefore might provide more information on whomever they were dealing with from Intergang. The problem was that while putting it all together Kara found she was more concerned with doing a great job on what she was presenting to Cat than helping with the investigation. Hank had picked up on that, or so it seemed, as he suggested a few edits they both had to know Cat Grant would hate. Kara took pride in her work for CatCo and wasn’t happy with his instructions but abided by them.

This would be the first piece of Kara's writing that Cat would read so the younger woman was past feeling on edge and had reached full blown nervous. She could help safely land airplanes and fight super powered Meta humans but submitting a few hundred words to Cat Grant scared the crap out of her. So as she stood in the bullpen at CatCo finding herself mentally exhausted despite her alien DNA. Holding her coffee in one hand and a notebook and printed page in the other all Kara wanted to do was fly away. 

Winn wasn't even good for a pep talk. Usually he would move to her like a magnet when she appeared near his desk but today he was huddled around a computer screen with two of the DEO security team. They were there to protect Cat Grant but since they were among the best IT people the organization had on staff, Kara had fulfilled Winn’s request and assigned them to his department. It was not entirely an unselfish move. They were both gifted agents and having them, as close to Cat Grant as possible was a good thing in Kara’s book. 

The most skilled agent assigned to the protection detail was not working with IT. Instead, she was sitting at Kara's old desk serving as Cat's temporary assistant. It wasn’t the kindest assignment but it went to one of the most talented agents in the DEO. Agent Vasquez had proven time and again she worked well under pressure. Her OMPF (official military personnel file) had an impressive array of skill sets, the strongest of which were her scores in a wide array of combat and tactical areas. Sure it was important to place someone at the assistant's desk that could do a passable job handing Ms. Grant's insane demands but Kara's biggest priority was to have someone standing between Cat and danger that had a chance to win in a fight. If Kara couldn't be there, and Alex couldn't be there, she trusted Vasquez to be the next best thing, even if it meant she would be owed more than a thank you for taking the assignment on. Although, oddly, when Kara looked over at her sitting behind the computer she could have sworn she saw her typing away with a smile on her face.

Kara's hanging back in the bullpen came to a screeching halt when she heard Ms. Grant yelling loud enough to be heard, by human ears, through the glass walls of her office. 

"Kiera, now."

Vasquez looked up and nodded at Kara. It was time to face the music. Moving to the office, Kara opened the door. 

"So, Kiera, is that the beginnings of your first byline?" Cat said, still pounding away at her keyboard. 

"I hope so. It's very undeveloped at this point. I just wanted to get the basics down to fill you in and start putting stuff on paper. Depending on how the investigation goes,” Kara rambled. “This could all end up thrown out but it starts things out with what I've dug up thus far and I hope gives you an idea of where I’m going with things.”

Cat placed her hand in the air with her palm open. "STOP second guessing. STOP making excuses.” She then began to do that ‘bring it to me’ hand gesture, she liked to do when someone in a staff meeting wasn’t getting to the point fast enough for her. “Hand it over." 

Kara moved to the front of her boss' desk and placed the start of the article in Cat Grant's hand. 

"Sit," Cat said as she pulled the paper in front of her and with her other hand grabbed for her red pen. Her eyes and her pen went to the page. Silently, she circled, drew lines, and made X's. She then made one large circle around something towards the middle of the page and looked up. "Needs work. Good start. Do better next time. Is that notepad in your hand the background?"

"Yes. Director Henshaw called and said I was to give it to you. Said you spoke and since his bosses agreed to your mandate you needed to read all the research to avoid any legal fall out over what might go to print at some point."

"He did and he was right to assert we needed everything to be well documented with reliable sources. The White House might have agreed to my request but they will deny, deny, deny so we have to be one hundred percent accurate.”

"Should I just leave this with you?" Kara said placing the notebook on the desk between them.

"Yes. I'll read through it as soon as I get the last of the quarterly reports from accounting signed off on." Cat then reached down to her desk drawer, opened it, and pulled out a decent sized stack of yellow lined tablets, maybe twenty in all. "Lose these and I will make your life a living hell."

"What are they?" Kara asked, as Cat stood from her chair and moved around the desk. She then dropped the stack in Kara's lap. 

"You are holding my original Intergang notebooks, every detail of the taking down of Bruno Mannheim, every bit of information I collected on his known associates at the time, every lead, and every narrow escape. It is very important you understand what you are dealing with as you write this piece and the kind of detail you will need to keep while investigating. Those pages will make that very evident and perhaps will also identify a common thread with what you've discovered so far. Tucked in the last book are copies of the articles that those notebooks allowed me to write."

“Wow.” Kara began to flip thru the handwritten, very dense, first few pages of the notebook on the top of the pile. "What narrow escapes?"

"I might look like I made my career behind a desk but long before you were you," Cat said gesturing up and down at Kara. "In your tan skirts, your pale blue button down blouses, and your abundance of energy, I was chasing stories and, in those days, I didn't have the luxury of a security detail. Well, if you don't count Superman eventually stepping in."

Kara was surprised at the reveal but feigned even more surprise to play up her mild mannered secret identity. "You never told me you know Superman."

"I've not told you a lot of things Kara," Cat said as she moved back behind her desk and sat back down. 

"What happened?"

"Very long story. The important thing was Mannheim went down thanks to a great deal of hard work and freedom of the press."

"Maybe some day you'll tell me what isn’t in these pages."

"Turn in a great story and we will celebrate your first byline with expense adult beverages and the unpublished parts of my run in with Intergang. In the mean time, keep working, Kiera," Cat said as she handed over the redlined page back to her. "Read over what I just gave you and I will go over these notes of yours and see if anything leaps out at me."

"Vasquez," Cat said as she triggered the speaker on her phone. 

"Ready for your lunch, Ma’am, I mean, Ms. Grant."

"Yes. I have my standing order at Noonan's"

"No dressing."

"Correct."

"On it."

Kara fought back a smile as Cat Grant turned off the phone speaker and seemed to be fighting off a smile as well. 

"You did well placing her. She might even be better at the job than you were. She got the White House on the phone for me this morning in record time. I suspect she cheated and called her boss but I'm fine with that. It got me what I needed."

"When I read what they sent me on everyone she seemed a good fit and Winn seems happy with the placements in IT."

"Enough patting yourself on the back, Kiera. Back to work, you’ve got a story to break open."

"Yes, yes, Ms. Grant."

"Oh and Kiera, remember that what you have in those notebooks is a few years old. So as you try and line that information up against what you've collected already and whatever the DEO likely called and fed you..."

Kara's eyebrows lifted in confusion, as she silently feared Cat Grant was already onto them. 

"Oh please, I wasn't born yesterday. As soon as they saw what you were onto and felt your life was in danger, and therefore mine, they were bound to drop us little bits of information so I could do some of their leg work for them."

"Really? I mean he mentioned a couple of things when he called me but it seemed totally inconsequential. " Kara managed to bluff.

"You wrote down what he said?”

“Yes, it’s in there. I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

“Keep listening to that instinct. His actual reason for calling you was probably to get that information to me, through you. It’s the other reason why he wanted you to give me this," Cat said lifting Kara's notebook. "I don't mind. I help them; you get a first-rate story, which makes me money. It's a win for everyone. Anyway, keep the dates of my notes in mind. Some of the people named in there could be in jail or dead. Do the work."

“Yes, Ms. Grant.”

Kara left the office and got half way into the bullpen before she looked back. She saw Cat Grant quickly glance down at her computer screen. It looked as if she had been watching Kara leave. Hopefully, Ms. Grant was feeling proud of Kara’s progress and not reflecting on a sense of disappointment in her shortcomings, some of which were motivated by having to keep things moving forward while lying about so much. 

With the notebooks under her arms, Kara headed to her windowless office to speed through them with the help of her abilities. The DEO needed anything they could dig up on Intergang's inner workings and the clock was ticking.


	9. Chapter 9

Hank Henshaw had given Maggie a private office to work from while she was at the DEO. It was down a side corridor just off from where she had seen, during her most recent visit, a team of techs building something that was large, and looked complicated and impressive. Today, when she passed the same glass enclosed area, the large item was gone and the techs were at their individual workstations building, what she assumed, were much smaller bits of genius. The DEO was a curious world. 

Despite having no windows, it was a much more comfortable, quiet, and private space than Maggie's desk in the bullpen at NCPD or the dungeon like conference rooms scattered around the DEO. Henshaw had even left for her a small water cooler, and coffee pot with a bag of ground beans that, from the taste, she imagined was from his secret stash and not what the government provided. It was unclear if the director of the DEO was being kind or apologizing for something Maggie was unaware of but she was happy for the easier access to caffeine and the peace and quiet. 

On an industrial table that worked as a desk, sat a computer that had complete access to the DEO Intel on everything related to the investigation, including the information Oracle had dropped on the servers. There was also an outside phone line. Granted a DEO switchboard monitored the phone but Henshaw had explained that any calls to Maggie's new secure cellphones would be ported through to the office line. This way she could remain deeply hidden at the DEO but still be reachable to the outside world. They, it seemed, had thought of everything. 

After leaving her motorcycle at NCPD and riding in the car with Henshaw to the speech event staging area, they had gone through the usual security protocols. Maggie didn't expect to see criminal elements lurking in the shadows but it would have been nice to spot someone from their Meta mercenary short list, if only as a sign that they were on the right track. 

Instead it was a 'by the book' information session that Maggie knew, from past experiences with a Presidential visit, was mostly for show. It was very formal and very routine which wouldn't be the entirety of the security protocol the day of the speech. No one had to tell her that the reason for such a public walk through was to smoke out or mislead individuals wanting to do harm. It was subterfuge. 

Maggie was on her second cup of coffee and what amounted to page five of the information Oracle had dumped on the servers when the phone on the desk rang. Understanding that it might be ported from one of her cells, she answered as she would them. "Sawyer."

"You're missed around here," said the slightly computerized but still unmistakable voice of the Bat's favorite computer hacker. It was good to hear from Oracle.

Not too long before Maggie left Gotham, she had learned the identity of the infamous Oracle. Barbara Gordon was among one of the best people in the world and was someone Maggie considered one of her few friends. The daughter of the most dedicated cop in Gotham, Barbara was smart, resourceful, kind, and didn't dwell on the paralysis she suffered at the hands of a sociopath with a gun. Had their situations been reversed, Maggie knew she wouldn't have had the courage or unwavering hope to move forward as Barbara had done. It was one of the many reasons she admired her so much. 

It had been a surprise to learn Barbara was Oracle, while at the same time not very surprising at all. There was no one you could count on more to keep pushing for answers, even when it seemed there were impossible odds, than Barbara Gordon, she didn’t need a cape to be a hero to Gotham, she just was one.

Realizing that the line was being monitored, Maggie kept things vague and casual. "I needed to move on."

"I know. Doesn't mean people don't miss you. Seems you've done well for yourself."

"Out of the frying pan,” Maggie offered with a laugh.

"And into the fire," Oracle said, as images appeared on the computer screen before Maggie. "But always so very popular."

The photos appearing on the desktop were of Maggie, Director Henshaw, other members of the DEO, and the secret service as they walked the staging area. It seemed someone had been watching the park. Oracle was somehow aware Maggie was sitting at that computer and was sending a message while, for some reason, selecting her words carefully. 

"I tend to capture people's attention," Maggie replied in a flippant way to follow whatever was behind Oracle's caution.

"Things are certainly circulating," Oracle offered, while also sticking with the vague but obvious messaging. 

"Any ideas?"

"Not yet but they are out there. They might be closer than anyone thinks."

The comment seemed pointed, like it was a warning. "I always assume the worst."

"Your pessimism has always served you well. Perhaps it's also time to add in some caution."

"You sound like someone else we know?"

It was unexpected and amusing to hear laughter coming from a computerized voice. Maggie envisioned Babs shaking her head. "Not everyone has to know what is going on, even if it makes other people nervous and causes those people to worry."

Maggie appreciated, what she assumed was Barbara saying she wouldn’t tell Kate. "No one needs to worry. I'm in good company." 

"Doesn't mean that they won’t,” Oracle said in a way that, even with her voice altered, was soft and compassionate. "Maggie, be careful."

"I will. Anything else?"

"Really close but nothing solid enough to stick," Oracle offered, as more windows popped up on the screen. 

It was obviously new information, from what little Maggie was able to quickly glance over. 

Oracle continued trying to vaguely fill in some blanks. "It will take time but not as much time as it would take people that follow all the rules."

Maggie admired Barbara’s persistence. "Stay in touch."

"I know where to find you. Talk soon."

The call ended, leaving Maggie grateful and curious about what the newly shared information was going to be. As she turned back to the screen, a new window appeared on top of the twenty or so windows that were already opened. Oracle’s icon, a green mask shaped like an upside down teardrop, and a flashing message appeared.

"All this given to DEO. Secure line in the future. You've got great instincts. Use them. Find those you can trust. This goes deep."

As Maggie read the last of the words for a second time the letters, and the Oracle mask, began to pulse and then disappeared from the screen like something dissolving in water. Maggie knew the investigation would rattle some powerful cages but if what Oracle was implying was correct it would seem the conspiracy Maggie was looking to dismantle might include some in the intelligence community. 

She sat at the desk, considering her options. If the investigation were to hit the kind of roadblock that pointed to people in the DEO, or those more powerful than the DEO, whom could she turn to for help? The obvious choice seemed to be Supergirl but Maggie worried that political gamesmanship, duplicity, and human conspiracies might be outside even a Kryptonian's skill set. The other obvious choice seemed to be Alex. Before Maggie had a chance to head down that mental rabbit hole, the office door opened. 

Standing there was Alex, dressed all in black, a side arm visible in a shoulder holster, and a duffle bag in her hand. She was all business and, if Maggie was being honest with herself, looked sexy as hell.

"Can I help you, Agent Danvers?"

"Director Henshaw sent me to get you. He’s requested an evaluation of your skills so your assignment during the speech maximizes your abilities."

"Evaluation?"

"Hand to hand combat, accuracy at the range, aptitude for some of our more creative DEO inventions. We are facing Meta's with skills that your work with the NCPD doesn't necessarily prepare you to face. Don’t worry. He is confident you will exceed expectations but needs a baseline before proceeding."

Oracle hadn’t called a code red and, as evidenced by her note, it seemed unlikely that any of the new Intel would cause problems since she dropped it for all of the DEO to see. There would be time to review things later. 

"My source just added some new details onto the server but I suppose it can wait," Maggie said, as she put her computer to sleep, stood from the desk, and moved out of the room.

Alex followed and then quickly passed, in order to lead them where they were going. "Turns out the 'Queen of All Media' has a bigger history with Intergang than even the President alluded to."

It was a terribly random offering of information but Maggie supposed things were awkward between them and maybe it was a good thing Alex was offering up new developments in the investigation instead of wanting to speak about last night. 

"History?"

"It was more than just a run in with them. The protection detail was a good call. She and one of her reporters are helping compile information on what Cat Grant knows of their operation, and it's dense. In exchange, DEO is giving her access to some of our research to see if they can dig up more.”

"And in exchange for her cooperation..."

Alex shrugged, as she kept walking. "CatCo gets the exclusive, if the cases breaks."

"I guess that's why she has a media empire.” The moment Maggie finished making the observation about Cat Grant, the realization as to what Alex had just told her sunk in. Maggie reached over and grabbed Alex’s arm to stop her from continuing down the hallway. “Wait, some of the research? You mean my casework? Alex, I can't be exposed."

"She's a force of nature but I admire her and she can be trusted. You won't be exposed. We only provided her with tiny breadcrumbs to follow and your name was redacted before anything was shared."

"She starts shaking too many of the same trees and the target on my back gets bigger and she gets a bigger one as well."

Alex nodded. "A fact she was well aware of when she agreed to the deal. She has worked with the DEO before, worked with me before. She's smart and no one's easy target."

"Can't judge a book, I suppose."

"Nope," Alex replied. 

"And I guess I've got a security system that came from Mars, or something, so I'm mostly covered."

Alex started back down the hallway. "Not Mars, it was actually built by our team with a tiny bit of tech from the plant Rann."

"Oh course, Rann was my second guess," Maggie said, while rolling her eyes and following down the hallway.

"You also have us, you know,” Alex said with a gentleness Maggie wasn’t prepared to hear.

"Can't keep an eye on me twenty four seven, Alexandra. Good thing I can take care of myself." It was, once again, out of Maggie's mouth before she knew she was saying it. They went the rest of the way in silence. 

When they reached the end of the hallway, to what appeared to be a dead end, Alex triggered a panel with her handprint. The wall slid away, revealing a large room. It was a giant space, covered on all sides in metallic silver, except for some brightly colored panels on some of the walls that made it feel more like an alien space craft than any firing range or fighting ring that Maggie had seen before. Every day at the DEO brought new surprises. 

"So where do I start?"

Alex dropped the duffle bag to the ground. "Which would you prefer to do first?"

"Shooting."

"Great," Alex said as she pulled from her shoulder holster what looked to be a standard issue Glock. "Here you go."

As Maggie took the weapon in her hand, there was something off about the feel of it. The weight felt normal but, when compared to any Glock that Maggie had fired, there was the tiniest difference in the texture on the barrel, and the grip. "What is this?"

"Something our techs here at the DEO cooked up. It's designed to feel and react like a typical service weapon but allows for us to monitor your vitals. Oh, and you won't be firing actual bullets."

"What?"

"It works the same. You'll see." Alex said with a smile as she grabbed up the duffle, moved to the wall panel, and hit a few buttons. "I'll be back in twenty. Good luck."

As Alex left the room, the entire space started to shift into a very life-like holographic projection. Maggie knew she was in for quite a test as she took her first steps into what appeared to be a warehouse that hadn’t been there moments before.

\---

There was a bright flash and then the room morphed from a crowded city street back to the silver metal walls. Maggie exhaled. It had been quite the experience and quite the adrenaline rush. The program had thrown everything at her, mistaken identity, danger areas with little in the way of protective coverage, suspects with language barriers, sociopaths with heavy weapons, alien encounters of varying intent, and innocent bystanders. 

Maggie wasn't one to brag but she could if she wanted because she had survived the exercise without taking a hit and managed to avoid any unnecessary loss of life. The only reason anyone might, maybe, mark points off was the property damage she had created in a couple circumstances. 

Before Maggie could replay anymore of the test in her mind, the door opened and Alex came back inside, without the holster on but with the duffle bag in one hand and a black box in the other. "Well done."

"That was remarkable. So realistic."

Alex put her hand out and Maggie handed back the weapon, which was promptly placed into the black lock box that Alex brought in with her. "The research team is still trying to work out a few glitches but it's meant to immerse agents in situations so we can best rate not only accuracy but also judgment, reaction time, and basic vitals. Thanks to the digital firing it also saves the government a ton on their ammunition budget."

"I just played what amounted to a multi-million dollar game of Duck Hunt, didn't I?"

"Pretty much."

"The reaction and feel of the weapon is spot on. So did I pass?"

"Flying colors. We have seasoned agents who haven't scored as well as you just did,” Alex said as she dropped the bag, unzipped it, put the box inside the bag, and pulled out a pair of black, open finger, combat style fighting gloves. She tossed them at Maggie. "Hand to hand."

"What? With you?" Maggie asked, as she began to place the gloves on her hands and tried to ignore the feelings bubbling up regarding what she knew the answer was about to be.

Alex reached back into the bag and pulled out a pair of red punch mitts. "They haven't yet figured out a way to make the holograms hit back. I promise to go easy on you,” Alex said with a wink. “Hank just wants to see what you can do."

This was a terrible idea but the faster they started it, the faster it would be over. "Well, by all means, let's show him what I can do." Punching her own hands with the gloves, Maggie took a step back and balanced her weight. 

She considered that maybe this wasn’t going to be actual fighting since Alex was, after all, wearing mitts. The room started to beep at them. It sounded like a count down from five and then a bell, similar to boxing, rang out. Immediately, the room grew almost blindingly bright and very cold. “Wonderful,” she thought. The DEO had built environmental factors into the test. 

Maggie took half a second to let her eyes adjust and then, approaching Alex, let her left hook fly at the mitt, jabbing with the power she had trained herself to use. Her right followed, cracking the other mitt hard. She used precision and power in place of speed and reminded herself to stay alert. There was no telling what the room, or Alex, was capable of doing. 

Without warning the room’s lighting began to dim and Maggie found her concentration waning. Where before she wished she had sunglasses, now she was finding it hard to make out the walls of the room. Maggie tried to ignore the change in visibility and an increase in the room’s temperature brought on by what she believed to be the environmental controls and not the workout. 

Picking up her speed, Maggie let her shoulder drop and got a mitt across the side of her head for the slip. Taking the move from Alex in stride, Maggie restored her form and kept up the faster pace, advancing on the mitts with both hands, jabbing, and then ducking whenever Alex swung back. This continued until eventually Maggie had Alex backed up to a wall. 

The moment Alex had hit the wall with her back something, that some might call music, began to blare. It was deafening and caused Maggie to pause just long enough that it give Alex a chance to spin herself away from being pinned. Being distracted also resulted in another crack against the side of Maggie’s head with the mitt.

The sensory part of the testing made the room dark, loud, and very, very hot and the fight was getting exhausting, frustrating, and emotionally complicated. Maggie kept on punching while trying to ignore the sensitive nature of the circumstance. She managed to get a strong series of shots in that had Alex backing up again. 

The progress stopped however as Alex spun away. As she turned again to face Maggie, she was smiling, a wicked smile that Maggie hadn’t seen in four years. Even as the room went back up to full lights, another instant blast of cold air, and silence, the look had made Maggie even more determined to come out the winner. She moved in again and started jabbing faster, a smile of her own on her lips. Alex seemed to effortlessly manage the blocks and matched Maggie’s speed between jabs by swinging the mitt towards Maggie's head, causing her to have to duck them. 

As lightweight as the gloves were, they were starting to feel like they were lined with lead. Maggie's arm muscles began to burn and get heavy from throwing so many jabs. When she heard another count down of beeps she hoped it was over but feared, from the look of determination on Alex’s face, it was not. 

"What does that mean?" Maggie asked while trying to keep her breathing steady, so to not reveal that the workout was finally taking its toll. 

"It means gloves off," Alex said as she flicked the mitts to the ground and stepped back with her hands up and her body twisted in a stance that seemed to telegraph a full frontal assault. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Maggie exhaled, while, as quickly as she could, releasing the Velcro, and tossing the gloves she was wearing aside. Her body shifted, she shook out her arms, and she braced herself as Alex moved in fast. 

The first couple of moves on Alex's part felt like a test. They had started quick but then slowed and Maggie easily blocked them. There was no way Alex was serving as a lead DEO agent without a better level of fight training. 

Maggie immediately shifted to offense with a move to Alex’s left side. During the sparring with the mitts it seemed to be where Alex showed some weakness. The observation had been a giant error as Alex had not only blocked the move but also countered and dropped Maggie to the ground with a sweep of her leg. Scrambling up, Maggie adjusted and vowed to not make that mistake a second time. 

As the light began to dim again and the room started to heat up, it was Alex’s turn to go on offense but she had mistakenly telegraphed her next move and Maggie got a strong shot in and then managed to twist Alex's arm behind her. Holding her in an arrest hold only lasted a half a second, as Alex got free and return to her fight stance. 

Attempting another leg sweep, Alex missed this time as Maggie spun out of it in a way that let her get a pretty serious shot to the back of Alex's right shoulder. Alex quickly spun and grabbed Maggie's left wrist and used her momentum to move them both further from the center of the room. 

Maggie managed to break the hold and tried a leg sweep of her own but also managed to miss. This time it was Alex who got a shot into Maggie's right side. The hits, the environmental controls, and her competitive nature were toying with Maggie's calm.

Two quick jabs in the direction of Alex's head were easily blocked but when Alex countered, Maggie was ready and used her shoulder as a way to push Alex against the wall. Her forearm could have easily pressed hard against Alex's throat but as their eyes met, unfinished business rose, and Maggie just stood there. Her mind was reeling. 

They held each other’s attention for a good few seconds. Alex’s eyes glanced down in the direction of Maggie’s lips. The unmistakable look causing Maggie’s breath to catch and her heart to slam in her chest. Alex began to move just the slightest bit forward and Maggie immediately lost this ‘game of chicken’, no longer brave and no longer able to trust being so close. Maggie needed space and so she released Alex, turned her back and walked away. 

Within a split section, Maggie felt her legs getting swept. Somehow she managed to turn in the air and landed on her back. The moment Maggie made contact with the floor; Alex's hands reached down and pressed both of Maggie's shoulders to the ground.

"Never turn your back,” Alex said. “Not with the kinds of threats we deal with.”

How was Alex talking about combat training after what had almost happened? Maggie was furious. Fire was coursing through her entire body and she pushed off against Alex's hold and got to her feet. "Evaluation over. If Henshaw doesn't like what he saw today he can drop me. I'm done being tested."

Alex stood but didn’t speak. Maggie, for the briefest moment, stared one last time at her former lover and then turned her back and walked out. A deep sense of relief came over Maggie as she heard the door to the testing room shut behind her and no one calling after her. Approaching the first official looking person she ran into, Maggie asked to be taken back to NCPD to get her bike.

\---

In the outskirts of National City, while on an extended, well over the speed limit, motorcycle ride down a long straight stretch of typically deserted road, Maggie tried to clear her head. 

Today was all on Maggie. It was her baggage. She was the one who was out of line and had deserved the reprimand. Alex’s look might have been something Maggie was reading wrong. Up to that point, Alex wasn't playing games or keeping score, she had been doing her job, albeit also, maybe, briefly, falling victim to the past. Whatever had happened, Maggie knew it was no excuse for quitting the test. 

As she rolled the throttle back to gain more speed, Maggie tried to out run the silent fact that was chasing her. Despite everything that had happened and how much Alex had hurt her, the way the day had ended mostly had to do with being drawn back to Alex. Going toe-to-toe with her and finding they were equally matched. Getting into a rhythm that was as familiar as dancing, even if it was combat, and then having it punctuated with that wicked grin that, four years prior, had a more erotic meaning. Standing inches from Alex’s body and feeling the heat in the room, bought on not only by the testing but also, what Maggie swore was their deep connection. So badly wanting Alex to cover the slight distance between them and kiss Maggie so hard that maybe she could forget everything that had happened in the past.

It wasn’t fair to let the baggage, Maggie should have been emotionally mature enough to let go of, cloud the work but the attraction had risen like a phoenix. Ignoring the resentment and the heartbreak and the need wasn’t going to work anymore. 

She wanted Alex Danvers but the desire had to be purged or Maggie would be throwing both their lives into chaos and if Maggie took into account why she had finished the hand-to-hand combat testing so poorly she could also be putting both their lives in danger. As the bike’s speed continued to increase, Maggie considered finding the highway and taking a one-way trip far away.


	10. Chapter 10

The sun had started to go down and the long straight away began to merge with a road where going eighty miles an hour was a bad idea. So Maggie turned around, still riding fast until the outline of National City lit up the darkening sky. 

"It is a beautiful skyline," she thought as she slowed down the bike and stopped feeling sorry for herself. 

Having not eaten much during the day, she dropped into McConners and picked up a salad to bring home with her. She wasn't exactly hungry but her fridge was lacking in anything but a few essentials and there was a chance she might need something before bed.

While waiting for her meal, she and Dhara had chatted. She was an observant type and quickly seemed to clue in that something was up but she was kind enough not to push it. Before Maggie left, Dhara hinted that she had tossed a treat in the bag with the salad. Maggie had told her she didn't have to but secretly hoped it was one of Terry's slices of apple pie. It was apparently his grandmother's recipe and it was unbelievably good. 

Arriving home, Maggie dropped her keys back in the bowl, tossed her helmet onto the kitchen counter, put her gun and holster next to the helmet, and placed the salad and, what was in fact a slice of apple pie, into the fridge. Being home this early was a luxury but since she still needed to refurnish her apartment she couldn't exactly entertain herself with television. This left her with two choices, go to bed early or start painting the apartment. Being she was still worked up from the day's events, painting seemed a good distraction. 

Tossing on some old gym clothes, finding some music on her smart phone and putting on her headphones, Maggie cracked open a gallon of the paint she had picked up the day after the break in. She poured some of it into the rolling pan and then twisted the roller onto the extension stick. She would start with the wall opposite her apartment door. 

Although it was cool outside, Maggie realized the idea of being overcome by paint fumes wasn't a pleasant thought. It wasn't worth waking up with a splitting headache. So after turning off the alarm, she opened one of the windows.

The grayish purple paint, called Object of Desire, was it possible her paint choice was laughing at her, went onto the walls smoothly. After a second coat it began to cover up the hate speech, which had been the first thing she saw every day since the break-in. It was a good thing she had thick skin. 

She was nearly finished with the first wall when the music library, shuffling through her collection at random, began to laugh at her. The same as the paint had done. Having not heard the soft, sweet hit song from the eighties in a long time, she had forgotten the kind of trigger it was to a time she was trying hard to ignore now that Alex Danvers was back in her life.

* * *

A perfect night seemed to be somehow getting better as Maggie climbed off her bike and removed her helmet. Her eyes immediately went to Alex. The longhaired beauty was in jeans and a black leather jacket. They had dug the coat up at a thrift story, by the university, during an afternoon blowing off studying which had led to an evening wrapped around one another in bed.

Standing next to the bike that she had just ridden, Alex had a huge smile on her face, the kind of smile that could light up an entire city block, even at eleven at night. In that moment, Alex was the sexiest person Maggie had ever laid eyes on and her heart swelled. What was it about seeing Alex so excited about life that made Maggie feel so good? 

Crossing the distance between them, Alex drew Maggie close and kissed her with enthusiasm that was unlike her while in public. "That was incredible," Alex said, breathlessly, as she broke the kiss but kept her arms wrapped around Maggie, who gave a wicked grin back in response. 

"I've been told I'm a very good kisser.”

Alex gave her a love tap for the comment. "You are." She pulled Maggie in just a little tighter. "But I was talking about the ride. I missed not being pressed against you on your bike but it was exhilarating to be driving one on my own."

“You're a natural."

"I had a great teacher."

"Don't underestimate yourself. It's not easy to learn how to ride one of these."

"Thank you for being so patient."

The compliment made Maggie smile. "To see you this happy, it was worth it."

The two of them broke apart and Alex picked up her helmet from the seat. "When do we have to get the bike back to your friend?"

"Not until Monday. He and his family are away for the weekend."

"So we can go for another ride in the morning?"

"For as long, and as far, as you want."

"Maybe down to Santa Cruz for lunch," Alex suggested with a playful pleading. 

It was a perfect idea but Maggie played it smooth. "If you want, that's what we'll do."

"In the meantime, are you coming over?"

Maggie gave a stoic look to try and tease Alex. "Do you want me to?"

The look Alex gave back made it very clear she did. 

"Good," Maggie said as she leaned in and kissed Alex. "I was hoping you would. Let me get the bikes secured and I'll be right up."

"I will crack open some Tequila."

"Sexy and smart. You are the whole package, Alexandra Danvers."

"The outfit helps sell it. Oh wait, I think I'm out of it of Tequila. I'll run to the corner and grab a new bottle."

"I'm right behind you."

"You better be," Alex said as she headed down the rest of the block and then turned towards the small corner convenience and liquor store that was a couple doors down from her apartment building.

As Alex disappeared out of view and into the store, Maggie pulled the keys from her jacket to retrieve from the bike's panniers the locks to keep the motorcycles secure over night. Certainly if someone wanted them it would only take a truck bed and a couple of strong guys but the locks would at least keep them from being driven off. The covers, folded up inside the boxes, would help mask the bike’s model making it a hard guess what thieves might get in the way of parts. This made them way less appealing. 

After Maggie finished up, she started in the direction of the store. She couldn't help but be elated as to how good things were between them. They had been bouncing between their two apartments for a couple of weeks now. 

Having met right before the Thanksgiving holiday, which led right into Christmas and New Years, meant, that for once, Maggie had taken things slowly not because she wanted to but because circumstances demanded it. Maggie's track records had been fall into bed first and see if she fits with them everywhere else later on. It was why her relationships always had an expiration date. 

Things with Alex had been different. The couple months of getting to know Alex through phone conversations, text messages, and email, had been sweet, wonderful torture. Then a night, a couple of weeks back, after some dancing at a club in Santa Cruz and a ride back to campus with Alex pressed up against Maggie while she drove her motorcycle, things had moved from casual dating and long phone conversations to much more. They had gone back to Maggie's small three-room apartment off campus for a nightcap that didn't end until breakfast the next morning. 

Wanting each other so badly, they had barely made it inside the apartment. In the morning, waking up next to a sleeping Alexandra Danvers, was maybe the happiest Maggie had been in her life. Somehow the rebellious, opinionated, criminal justice student and the super smart, super shy, and super sexy science nerd had turned out to be a perfect fit in every way. It was like this incredible woman had fallen from the sky and into Maggie's lap. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve it but she was happy that it seemed she did. 

Smiling to herself, she was nearly to the store when Maggie immediately grew concerned. Two rather big guys in blue jeans, T-shirts, and ball caps were harassing a girl who looked to be all of eighteen. 

There were a couple options; ignore it, which wasn't in Maggie’s nature, or try and break things up, which was in her nature and within her skill set. Considering she was about to finish her undergraduate degree in criminal justice she had the ability to talk her way clear of most confrontations and considering her years studying karate and self defense she could fight her way out of any situation her mouth couldn't get her out of which meant Maggie couldn't just walk past what was going on. 

"Hey!” Maggie said as she approached the trio. 

The young woman looked at Maggie with fear in her eyes but said nothing.

"Mind your own business, bitch," the taller of the two men said, as his friend continued to stand far too close to the girl to be considered polite. 

"What’s going on here?”

The pair of them just laughed.

“I asked you a question," Maggie offered up again. 

The other guy looked at her with disgust. "And he said to mind your own business."

"I can't actually do that, considering what appears to be going on here."

"Ain't nothing happening but us paying her a compliment on her nice outfit,” the taller of the two said as he ran his hand over the young woman's sleeve. 

The girl tried to shrug him away. "Thanks for the compliment. Now I've got to go meet my friends."

The smaller of them firmly grabbed her by the arm. "You ain't going anywhere."

Maggie knew talking wasn't going to cut it. Stepping forward quickly, she grabbed the guy’s wrist and twisted it away from the girl’s arm, wrenching it around. "Hands off."

The taller guy wasted no time and stepped towards Maggie with his hands in the air. As he got close enough, he swung. Maggie anticipated the movement though and used her leverage to spin the other assailant between her and his friend. As the guy swung his fist, he made contact with the smaller guy’s jaw, a crack echoed on the empty street before he hit the ground, hard. 

With only one to face off with, Maggie stepped back and got into position, her arms up and her legs balanced. The punches came fast as Maggie blocked them. They began to dance around having a full-blown street fight less than half a block from Alex’s apartment.

The girl, it seemed, had retreated back towards the alley between apartment buildings and had begun to scream. Then in some impressive but not very wise attempt at helping, ran at the large guy, threw herself at him, and struck him with her fists without much effect. As he redirected his attack on the teenager, knocking her to the ground, Maggie moved to turned his attention back to her by shoving him and then sweeping his legs. 

With the larger one on the ground, Maggie moved to the girl to help her up. It had been a miscalculation, as the small guy got up and managed a hard strike to the side of Maggie jaw. Reacting instantly, Maggie swung back but miscalculated, missing his face and hitting the side of a wall instead. She felt the pain shoot up her knuckle and into her arm and noticed quickly she had also broken the skin.

Despite being trained to keep emotion out of it, Maggie was now pissed. Leaning back on her feet she waited for the smaller guy to make his next move. He came at her quickly and she immediately shut him down, blocking and countering every strike while landing blows of her own. 

"We've called the police!" The unmistakable voice of Alex was yelling from somewhere behind her and as if on cue the sounds of distance sirens filled the night. 

The larger of the two rose from the pavement but instead of helping double team his friend’s attack, he seemed to realize they were in deep if they were there when the cops arrived. "Let's get out of here," the bigger guy shouted, as the smaller one stepped back and wiped blood from his lips before they both bolted away from the scene. 

"Thank you," the young woman said as she managed to stand up. 

"Welcome."

Alex arrived at Maggie's side as a police car slid into the spot where the altercation had taken place. "What happened?"

\---

It hadn't taken too long to fill out the paperwork with the officers who arrived at the scene. They had tried to get Maggie to go to the Emergency Room to be checked out but she declined. Her right hand hurt where the skin was broken, and a rather dark bruise was forming on her swollen knuckle. She knew without seeing it there was going to be another bruise forming on her jaw. There wasn't much they would be able to do for her in the ER but wrap her hand and ice her jaw and she could do that herself and save the medical bills. So she and Alex had walked back to the apartment in silence. Maggie mentally preparing herself for the lecture she knew was about to get. 

Unlocking the door, Alex moved silently into the apartment leaving Maggie to close the door behind her. When she turned back into the room, Maggie saw Alex drop her helmet and the liquor onto the small kitchen island and then she disappear into the bathroom and immediately began banging around in the cabinets. She was certainly pissed. 

Not knowing what to do with herself, Maggie moved to the portable speaker setup that Alex had sitting on a table by the window. Dropping her phone into it would allow it to charge and by selecting her music library it would, at least, fill the room with something other than silence. She set it to shuffle and then moved back towards the kitchen. Grabbing two rock glasses from the strainer by the sink, Maggie dropped them on the island. She then pulled a hand towel from the rack by the stove, went to the freezer and made herself an ice pack. She brought a few ice cubes back with her and dropped them in the glasses as well. Pulling the bottle of tequila from the bag, she then poured two glasses. She took a gulp from one of them and then refilled it. Grabbing them with one hand, Maggie then took the drinks and her ice pack with her to the sofa and placed them on the coffee table. 

When Alex came in from the bathroom her face was unreadable. Her tone was not. "What were you thinking?"

"She needed help."

"And instead of calling the police, you had to step in,” Alex said as she sat down.

"I don't like bullies."

"Yes, I know, last week, outside the club, you made that very clear after that guy wouldn’t stop grabbing me."

"He wouldn't keep his hands to himself after being asked nicely more than once."

"It was one guy that night but two, on an empty street. Maggie you could have gotten yourself killed."

"You know, that I know, what I'm doing."

"Yes. I know. Black belt since you were fifteen and boxing is your favorite work out, but Jesus, Maggie, you are not indestructible. What if they had a gun?"

"They didn't."

"But what if?"

"It didn't come to that."

Alex let out a deep sigh. "Let me look at you."

"Are we going to play doctor?" Maggie asked playfully. 

"This isn't funny."

"What? Who is being funny?" Maggie said with a grin that wasn't easy to make considering how her jaw felt. Damn that guy for getting that lucky shot in when Maggie had gone to help the girl up from the sidewalk. "You said you almost went pre-Med. I assume that means you have some skills in that department, that's all."

"What did you do to your hand?"

Maggie glanced down at her right knuckle. The bruising and now the swelling was making it look worse but at least the blood, from where she broke open the skin, had started to clot. "I might have miscalculated. In the midst of one of them landing a lucky punch, I made contact with a brick wall instead of a face. I'm sorry I put a damper on our evening."

"It's fine," Alex said, as she opened the rubbing alcohol.

"It's not. We had a great night up to then and you look beautiful and I really didn't want to spend the rest of tonight with you having to fix me."

Alex blushed as she busied herself with tending to the cuts on Maggie's knuckle. 

With her uninjured hand, Maggie moved one of the glasses of Tequila in front of Alex. She then took the other and had a sip. Alex looked up from what she was doing, took the glass, and drank from it. 

After putting her glass back down, Maggie leaned in and kissed Alex softly on the cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Taking care of me."

Alex rolled her eyes and put her drink back on the table. "You know tequila and a thank you aren't going to make me instantly forgive you..."

"I know."

"You didn't let me finish."

Maggie had a deep feeling of dread. 

Alex continued on. "I was going to say they might not instantly make me forgive you but I'm super proud you stepped in like you did."

"I’m sorry I scared you."

"Please don't make a habit out of it," Alex said, as she then reached for some medical gauze to finish tending to the cuts on Maggie's knuckles. 

"I'll do my best."

"I suppose it's all I can ask," Alex said as she looked up from what she was doing and held Maggie's eyes. "Now put that ice on your jaw. Otherwise, it's going to swell up even worse."

"Yes, Doctor," Maggie obliged, moving the hand towel full of ice to her jaw. 

Alex responded with another shy smile and then went back to tending to the hand. She grabbed an ace bandage and carefully wrapped it. 

Maggie watched her work in silence for a good five minutes and then the words just tumbled out of her mouth. "Do you know how beautiful you are? It actually hurts sometimes when I look at you."

Alex blushed, her face going from pink to almost crimson and she didn't look up from what she was doing.

Maggie reached over and placed the ice pack back on the table. With her bandaged hand, she lifted Alex’s chin so they could look at one another. "Alex, don't do that." 

"Do what?"

"I will never understand how one minute you can be the most confident woman in the world..."

"That is so far from the truth."

"Says the woman that picked me up outside the library."

"I was having a rare, bold moment,” Alex stammered, her eyes darting up into the air.

"No, you weren't, that was you. How is it that deep down you don't believe you're enough? I... I don't understand how you got here, Alex, but whatever this is that makes you doubt yourself, it isn't worth listening to."

Alex shrugged. "I don't often get what I want out of life."

Maggie smiled as the words processed. "Does that mean you want me?"

"Every inch of you," Alex said, with a spark of confidence that Maggie was so attracted to that her breath caught. 

Alex then leaned in and punctuated the comment with a deep kiss. 

The heat between them was invigorating but the pain from where the guy had managed to get the lucky punch in was excruciating. 

"Ouch,” Maggie mumbled.

Alex pulled back fast and brought her hand up gently to the side of Maggie's check. "Sorry. Ice. Now."

Leaning forward, Maggie softly kissed Alex back. "Thank you."

"You're welcome but don't think this means I'm not still mad at you for putting yourself in danger. Cause I am. I'm mad," Alex restated, but with a smile on her face, as she began to pick up the items from the medicine cabinet. 

"Maybe if you say it again I will believe you." Maggie said with as good of a grin as she could manage with a fat lip and an aching jaw. 

Alex's eyes were bright and her smile intoxicating. "Don't tease me." 

"I'm not." Maggie was slipping further and further as the words refused to stay unspoken any longer. "I love you, Alexandra Danvers."

Having started to stand up from the sofa, Alex stopped. "What did you just say?"

Maggie hoped she was reading the brunette's tone correctly and that it was hope she heard in her voice. Reaching out with her wrapped hand, she carefully took Alex's forearm and brought her back to sit down next to her on the sofa. "I said I love you. After months talking to you whenever I could manage a free moment, exchanging emails, grabbing a quick bite on campus or a drink when one of us could manage a night with no class work. Finally getting to spend some real time with you. Laughing with you. Waking up to find you still wrapped in my arms. I'm not sure the exact second it happened but I fell head over heels in love with the nerd carrying a big pile of research books."

They sat, staring at one another. The only sound in the room was the music coming from the speakers. It was some eighty’s tune that Maggie hadn’t heard in a long time. It was soft, and sweet, and perfectly timed. Every second that Alex didn’t speak though made Maggie panic just a tiny bit. She worried she had gone too far, too fast, and that a couple of months going slow by Maggie's standards was still quick for the more logical of them. 

Tears started to well in Alex's eyes. 

"I'm sorry. Please. Don't cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rush it. Oh, Jesus, I rushed it. I've obviously ruined everything."

"Would you please stop talking?" Alex said, in almost a whisper, as she took Maggie's face in her hands. "I'm not spooked, well, I am spooked, but not for the reason you’re worried about. You didn’t ruin anything. Maggie, I love you more than you'll ever know."

\---

A loud, unexpected knock at her door pulled Maggie from the past and back to a nearly perfectly painted second wall. She pulled her headphones out of her ears.

Why was someone knocking? She hadn't ordered take out, she wasn't someone who had friends in National City, and the DEO hadn't called. She supposed there was a chance it was an agent sent to pick her up again because of some new development or something but Maggie didn't want to take any chances. 

"Coming," she yelled, as she moved to the kitchen to get her gun. Normally, she might have just gone and answered it but it was getting late at night, too late for casual drive by visits or even an unannounced DEO beckoning and after the chat with Oracle, she was a little on edge. 

Vasquez had explained there was a panic button on the face of the security panel in case of emergency. Of course, with no peephole in her industrial lead lined door, Maggie had to hope what was on the other side wasn't someone who could kill her faster than she could shoot them or set off an alien alarm system. 

Opening it with a hard tug with one hand, and her gun drawn in the other, Maggie spoke before registering who was standing there. "Can I help you?!"

Supergirl stood in the doorway. "Umm, sorry to drop by like this unannounced."


	11. Chapter 11

"Oh, Jesus," Maggie said, lowering her gun, and wanting to disappear from the planet. She had just aimed her weapon at Supergirl. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone."

"Maybe I should have called first?"

The idea of Supergirl using a phone to ask about dropping over seemed strangely amusing. "This case has me jumpy."

"Considering what has happened, understandable."

"So, umm, please come in."

As she walked into the apartment, Supergirl’s shy smile once again had a familiarity to it that Maggie couldn’t place but she found adorably human. The hero was another example as to why differences, like planet of origin, shouldn’t matter to people as much as they did. 

"Has something happened?" Maggie asked as she pulled the heavy door closed and then put her gun on the small table, which also held her keys. 

"My cousin got another call from Gotham. Your contacts are convinced this goes high enough up the ladder that the DEO could be compromised."

"That was the impression I was given this afternoon when I was contacted,” Maggie offered.

"Oracle mentioned you spoke."

Maggie was surprised that Barbara had reached out to Supergirl, especially so quickly after their chat. "Did something break in Oracle's investigation?"

"Still no names but Oracle can confirm that one of the trails is leading to someone with DEO oversight. The servers are no longer safe. So information from now on will funnel through me."

Open murder investigations, leading to a group of hate radicals, leading to the President’s life at risk, and it was all pointing to a conspiracy that, as they dug deeper, was shrinking their odds of success. Maggie couldn’t help but be pessimistic. "Where does that leave us?"

"With a very tight circle. I've vouched for J’onn and Agent Danvers. Oracle has agreed they can be pulled in but we keep everyone else out unless absolutely necessary."

"I trust Oracle with my life. If this is the plan you've both set in motion, I'm in."

"It is very important the DEO operates business as usual. On the other hand, any ‘on the record’ activity that could telegraph we are closing in on responsible parties will tip our hand."

"So we play it like we are chasing our tail,” Maggie suggested. “Concentrate on the President’s protection.”

“Exactly. J’onn and Agent Danvers have been briefed. Also your research into the mercenary list has proven fruitful. Oracle managed to track Kyle Abbot's movements, using known aliases, and it places him in National City."

"And I'm guessing where he is..."

"Intel indicates she is never far behind."

"So shape shifters. One of which is immortal. Great."

"Well, upside we have a shape shifter of our own.”

Maggie didn’t share in Supergirl’s optimism. "Ours, I assume, doesn’t have the ability to use mind control in his bag of tricks?" 

"No. Also we still don’t have a match on the alien matter from the hilt of the knives but I authorized Oracle to yank that evidence from the DEO servers for protection. If that were to go missing we might never get a break.”

"So, we have confirmation on two, of how many we can’t be sure, known assassins?”

“Regrettably, that is where we are at.”

“Sorry for the pessimism, Supergirl, it's been a day."

Supergirl looked at her sympathetically and then glanced around the empty apartment. Her gaze stopping on what was the next wall Maggie intended to tackle. "One that's ended with you painting over that deplorable graffiti?"

"Doing that has actually been the highlight."

“I could help. Have it done in the time it would take you to pour more paint in the pan.”

“It’s kind of you to offer but it really is therapeutic.” 

Taking a few steps towards the wall, Supergirl was quiet for a second, seeming to take in the threats scrawled in blood, and then without turning back to Maggie, she spoke. "I heard there was some conflict with Agent Danvers today."

"Entirely my fault,” Maggie deflected, since she really didn’t want to get into a heart to heart with a hero who could probably tell from her pulse if she was lying. “Oracle's call put me on edge and Agent Danvers just pushed me over it."

"She means well,” Supergirl said as she turned back to Maggie. “Now that doesn’t mean that sometimes her focus doesn’t get myopic. The trick is to know that going in and give as good as you get."

Maggie could have sworn the Superhero had a bright, almost conspiratory, smile on her face. Was it possible Kryptonian’s could read minds?

"Yeah," Maggie said, hesitantly. “I, umm, get that impression.”

Supergirl’s eyes softened. "Give her a chance, Detective. She's the most loyal and big-hearted person I've ever met. You might find..."

A knock at the door stopped Supergirl from continuing and caused Maggie's head to snap towards it. 

"Are you expecting anyone?" Supergirl asked, as she stepped forward. 

"No."

Supergirl’s eyes shot in the direction of the knock and then her face dropped. "The door is lead lined."

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Little known fact, Kryptonians can't see through lead."

"Well, since I doubt assassins knock, I'm hopefully safe and if not at least I’m with the most powerful women in the world." Maggie picked her gun back up and moved to the door. "Coming."

"Detective, maybe I should open it."

"If it's trouble, don't let them kill me." Turning to the door, with her gun up, Maggie grabbed the handle with her other hand and pulled.

"Please don't shoot," Alex Danvers said from the doorway, her arms immediately reaching up into the air.

"Alex?" Supergirl said from behind Maggie, who echoed the question in unison.

"I'm sorry to just drop in, and since you have company, I should probably go."

Supergirl appeared at Maggie's side. "No. Come in. I was just getting Detective Sawyer up to speed on what I learned from Oracle."

Having dropped the gun back to her side, Maggie gestured into the apartment. "By all means, join us Agent Danvers." The annoyance in Maggie’s voice was present and accounted for in spades.

Alex entered the apartment, sheepishly, as Maggie closed the door again and then put her gun back on the table. "So why the drive by?"

Alex tried to posture but something seemed off about her demeanor. "I, uh, wanted to get you up to speed and didn't realize Supergirl had the same plan."

"I should be going anyway," Supergirl said as she glanced between the two women. "I have to check in on Cat Grant and the reporter she's assigned to the Intergang investigation. Oracle said that having their research might speed things up."

"Really, Supergirl, you don't have to leave on my account." Alex’s tone had a tinge of begging in it.

"You can finish getting Detective Sawyer up to speed which frees me up to drop in on CatCo. It would be a big help.”

Alex’s nod screamed defeat instead of acceptance. 

“Have a nice night. Both of you." Supergirl said as she moved to the open window. "We will speak more tomorrow." And with that she began to levitate and then flew away. 

Maggie ignored Alex for a moment to enjoy the sight of a hero flying out of her apartment. It really was remarkable. Sure, the Bat team in Gotham had their skills but they were mortals with really great tech. Supergirl was the real deal. She was someone who had powers that humans could only wish for and a need to use those gifts to help the greater good. Maggie wasn't sure she would ever get used to how incredible a sight it was to behold or how much she admired the seemingly young woman.

Turning back to Alex, Maggie took in the sight of her. What she saw there surprised her. She didn’t see the woman she had fought with earlier in the day but instead the woman she had walked out of the restaurant with the night before. There was an ease to her but also a vulnerability. The feelings it stirred worried Maggie and her wall went back up. "So."

"This was a bad idea. We can find a way to talk in a secure location tomorrow," Alex said as she began to move past Maggie to the door. 

As she passed, Maggie reached out and stopped her. "You're here now. So talk."

Alex looked down to where Maggie's hand was holding her arm and then slowly her eyes lifted up and looked into Maggie's. A silent moment, which was difficult to endure, passed between them. "I came to apologize for last night and for this afternoon,” Alex stammered. “I should have insisted J’onn have someone else do your evaluation. It complicated an already complicated situation."

"Didn't complicate anything," Maggie said, as she released Alex's arm. 

"Says the women who stormed out."

"There is no situation.” 

"Maggie, the situation oozes off of you every time we are in the same room alone together,” Alex explained, her statement filled with frustrated confidence.

"Have you been drinking?"

Alex shook her head. "I had one drink at McConners."

"Stealing my favorite restaurant now?"

"If you must know, I took a chance and went there looking for you. When Dhara saw me she insisted that I sit down and eat something. Why is everything with you a fight?"

"Everything isn't a fight, Alex."

"Could have fooled me."

"What do you want, Alex?"

“For this to stop,” Alex exclaimed, gesturing into the air.

The emotion said it all. Maggie didn’t want to cut Alex any slack and yet she couldn’t bring herself to fight back. “I don't want to argue anymore, Alex. I just want to get to the bottom of this case and then we can go our separate ways.” 

Alex looked anywhere but at Maggie. “You actually mean that.”

“Don't. You don't get to say it like that.”

“Like what?” Alex challenged defiantly, her eyes now shooting daggers directly in Maggie’s direction.

“You know like what.” 

“Like someone who is still heart broken after all these years. Like that?”

Maggie hadn’t expected to hear that come out of Alex Danver’s mouth and the wall tried to come down but she forced it to stay up by digging into all the anger she hadn’t spoken. “See, no, you really don’t get to say that to me.”

“Why? Because you don’t want to hear it? Or because you don’t think I deserve a chance to speak?”

“I’m not sure you do.”

“So it’s all still about you, huh, Maggie? Your feelings. Your timeline. Your ultimatum.”

“Don’t put this all on me, Alex. Don’t.”

“Why not? You were as much apart of the end as I was.”

The nerve had been struck and struck hard. Maggie felt her temper rising. “No, Alex, that was all on you.”

“You left.”

“No, you can’t re-write this one, Alex. You can’t. I loved you. Do you know how many people I have said those words to in my life, Alex? Two. Two people in my entire life I’ve said those words to and after we ended, it took me almost four years to say them that second time and it was hard, nearly impossible. I fought it every step of the way because in the back of my mind saying those words meant I was headed for another fall cause that was what you taught me. So you know what, I can’t pretend anymore that this,” Maggie blurted out while gesturing between them barely holding her emotions as she had to stop for a second to avoid her voice cracking. “That this is easy, because it’s not easy. You changed me, Alex and not entirely for good.”

“You think it was easy for me. Do you even know what fear feels like, Maggie? Do you have any clue the pressure, the sleepless nights, the way it can twist into panic? And then, and then, when I finally gave into that fear, do you know what it was replaced by? Because you see, something that big is always replaced by something else. It was replaced by self-destruction. I don’t just mean a few poor choices. I wrecked things. I wrecked myself. I wrecked school. I nearly wrecked my relationship with my sister and the messed up part was all that wreckage just made the hole bigger until I found this job and managed to bury everything in that empty hole.”

“And yet here you are, digging it all up again and looking down at me, blaming me, in the process.”

“Damn it, Maggie, I don’t blame you. Don’t you get it? I blame me. You left. I blame me for that.”

It was as if the room was spinning as Alex started to contradict herself and leave Maggie lost in the process. “Now you aren’t making any sense.” 

“It wasn’t what I wanted,” Alex whispered, as her eyes drifted down to Maggie’s lips and then she reached over and took Maggie into her arms and kissed her, hard.

Anger, sadness, love, desire, loneliness, and fear mingled, the same as their tongues did. Maggie began to give into the moment returning the desperation of the kiss in kind, her mind now behind the wall because her body didn’t want it interfering. She pulled Alex closer, their bodies, without air between them, warm and inviting. The thud of Alex’s coat hitting the floor joined the sound of their breathing as it quickened. 

Maggie shivered as Alex’s cold hands drew up under her t-shirt and made contact against her naked back. Alex’s finger nails lightly scratching against flesh. Driven by the passion building between them, Maggie took that as a sign and moved to the buttons on Alex’s black silk top. Somehow she managed to get them all released without causing any damage to the garment. Alex’s hands moved away from Maggie’s skin, leaving need in their wake, as she helped shake the shirt from her shoulders. It fell to the floor as Alex broke the kiss. 

“Please,” Alex begged, as she gazed into Maggie’s eyes.

Maggie felt her whole body stiffen. It was as if the alarm system the DEO put in had been turned on and frozen her in place. She couldn’t speak and she couldn’t move, not even to brush away the tears she knew were falling down her cheek. 

Tears welled in Alex’s eyes as well. “Please,” she pleaded again, as she brought her arms around Maggie and held her. 

Maggie was trapped, mesmerized, and overwhelmed. Despite the wall her body had it locked behind, Maggie’s brain was demanding a vote but she refused to listen instead being taken in by the passion and sadness in Alex’s eyes. Her own need for, was it punishment, closure, joy, selfishly tried to veto logic. She somehow found her voice and whispered, “Alexandra?”

“Maggie, please,” Alex’s voice was breathless but strong and confident. 

The third time was the charm as Maggie closed the distance between their lips, kissing Alex with four years of loss and sadness simmering behind the desire, and dare she consider, love. Pulling Alex tightly to her, the taller one’s exposed skin giving off enough heat that Maggie could feel it through her t-shirt. Loosening her hold, Maggie raised her arms in the air. Alex took the hint and removed the t-shirt in one fluid motion, then their bodies drew back together quickly, friction building. 

Maggie moved them towards the air mattress. When they got close enough they eased to the ground together, Alex pulling Maggie down on top of her. Gazing into brown eyes, damp from emotions that ran deep, Maggie’s heart slammed in her chest. 

She gently drew one finger just under Alex’s right eye where a tear had fallen. In a move that shattered Maggie, Alex mirrored the motion, drawing three fingers across Maggie’s damp cheek and then cupping her face in her hand. They stayed there for a moment, saying nothing, merely staring at one another and seeing everything as clear as day, neither caring about the consequences.

Maggie’s mind tried one more time to remind her that morning would come, that this was more dangerous than going eighty miles and hour, and that things would likely be far worse but she ignored it’s protest and merely leaned over to kiss Alex with a passion that had been lying dormant for four years.

\---


	12. Chapter 12

The moon was high in the sky and it was way past quitting time. Having hovered in the air for a while outside Cat Grant's balcony, watching her work, Supergirl found she was even more impressed with the women who signed her paychecks. Working with her for so long, she was aware of how dedicated Cat Grant was to the work but watching her do it when she didn't know she was being watched was a thing of, was beauty the right word? The concentration and passion Cat Grant conveyed while sitting at her desk with an actual pen and pad of paper instead of a keyboard was a sight to behold. Her handwriting graceful, as she wrote, while flipping through the pages of research Kara had turned over to her on the Meta Murders. Having super vision, Supergirl could see the prose the older woman was using to try and draw connections to her own experience with Intergang. How did she make facts seem so alive? The question was just another piece of the puzzle that was Cat Grant. 

Watching Cat Grant work wasn't self-indulgence on Supergirl's part. She was waiting for the right moment to drop in and speak to her. There was timing involved and as Supergirl glanced to the street level and saw Kara Danvers, more specifically J'onn in the form of Kara Danvers, entering CatCo, carrying two paper cups and a small bag in her hands, it was time to set things in motion. 

Softly landing on the balcony shouldn't have alerted Cat to her presence and yet the older woman looked up from her notepad and turned towards the outside. She took in the sight of Supergirl, put down her pen, pulled away from her desk, and picked up the glass of brown liquid she had sitting in front of her. Slowly, Cat, and the glass, of what looked to be bourbon, walked outside to the balcony. 

"To what do I owe the visit?"

"Hoping we could speak about Intergang."

"So I was correct in assuming you are working with the DEO on the investigation?"

Supergirl nodded. "And there has been a development."

"Which is?"

Supergirl anticipated Cat Grant would want the details but owed her a warning anyway. "It's dangerous for you to know."

"I can't help if I don't have all the facts."

"This can't be shared with anyone on your staff or your security detail. This remains something you can only discuss with Director Henshaw or myself.” 

There had been no wavering on Cat Grant’s part. "Understood." 

"A much large conspiracy, that goes high up, is emerging."

"More than just a series of murders against gifted people? Or concerns about the President's safety?"

"More than that, yes. There is a dangerous power grab in motion that could divide a nation, or even the world. I need your word, Ms. Grant."

"You have it, Supergirl."

"Thank you."

Softness appeared across Cat’s face. "For what?"

"For putting the country first."

"Without a solid foundation my publishing empire would be worthless. One only needs to read history books to realize the dangers of powerful men with no scruples."

Supergirl nodded. "Seems no matter the planet, the actions of some can..."

"Destroy everything."

"Yes,” Supergirl agreed. 

"So what has happened?"

"What Kara Danvers dug up scratches only the surface and we think an attack against the President might be merely phase two."

Cat Granted nodded but said nothing and instead took a sip from her glass. 

"The good news is we have begun to identify some of the Intergang mercenaries involved. Perhaps ones you've also had run ins with?" Supergirl asked even though she already knew the answer from having read Cat Grant's notes. "Do you know of shape shifters that were working for them in the past?"

"What kind?"

"A Werewolf, for one."

"Kyle Abbott, I presume?

"Yes, we think so. So you know him?"

"He was among those Clark Kent and I faced off with when trying to take Mannheim down. He's a force."

"And yet you prevailed. Impressive."

Cat laughed, it was a strange but welcome sight. As the head of CatCo finished enjoying the compliment, the balcony door opened and Kara Danvers joined them. 

It had been a tricky switch. After leaving Maggie Sawyer's apartment, Kara had returned to CatCo and made her way to Cat's office for an after hours meeting to go over where they both saw their details overlapping. Kara had worn a bug to allow J'onn to listen in and collect what he might need to help pull off the switch. After the chat, Kara had run to the coffee shop next to CatCo. It was there the two of them changed places. J'onn, posing as Kara, was to pick up the food and drink order and Kara changed into Supergirl to drop in on Cat. 

It might not have been a necessary ruse but J'onn felt it couldn't hurt to reinforce the narrative that Kara and Supergirl were two different women. The eventual reveal that Alex's sister was writing the piece could seem too much of a reach. There had to be a very strong smokescreen if Detective Sawyer and a generally suspicious media giant were to ever compare notes, especially since Maggie was under the impression that it was Supergirl and Director Henshaw that had gone to speak to Cat Grant originally. 

"Ms. Danvers," Supergirl said to a very well disguise J'onn Jones. 

"Oh, unmmm, hello, Supergirl." Kara stammered. "Sorry to interrupt."

"It's fine, Kiera," Cat offered. 

"I got myself some coffee and a bite to eat and thought you might like some tea and a salad."

Cat took a sip from the liquor in the rock glass in her hand and then lifted it. "Thank you, Kiera. I'm covered."

"Ok, I'll just leave it all on the coffee table in case you change your mind. I’ll be in my office working," Kara said, as she started to leave the balcony. 

"You can finish up typing those interview notes in the morning and tell Agent Vasquez she can go home."

"She's meant to be here protecting you," Kara protested. 

"Supergirl is here. If something happens, I think she will more than suffice. Better that Vasquez gets a good night's rest."

"Ok," 

"Oh, and I'll deal with that email from Snapper. I already told him you wouldn't be joining his staff until I was satisfied with the transition. He shouldn't have chastised you for missing his staff meeting."

"Ok, thanks," Kara said as she pushed her glasses up onto the bridge of her nose.

Supergirl tried to keep the look of confusion off of her face as she didn't recall any emails from Snapper Carr, whom Cat had just hired as the new editor of CatCo Magazine in an attempt to rebrand it towards harder hitting news. Perhaps she missed it or perhaps they had just failed a test.

"Nice seeing you again, Supergirl," Kara finished having opened the glass door again.

"You as well." As the door closed, Supergirl wasn't sure what came over her as she turned back to Cat Grant. "And to think you thought she and I were the same person."

"Can you imagine?" Cat Grant said, with a tone that Supergirl couldn't read. Taking another sip from her glass she moved to the balcony’s edge and started to look out over the city. "So Kyle Abbott. I'm assuming there is reason to believe that Whisper is also involved."

Supergirl followed. "Is that the alias you know her by?"

"Yes and no one is certain her real name. The pair of them are inseparable and are more dangerous than the others. She perhaps more so than he is."

"Tell me more."

"She's a seductress, with an acid tongue,” Cat said, as if she was somewhere else.

"Like she's sharp witted?"

Cat turned to Supergirl. "No, like actual acid. She can spit acid."

"Oh," Supergirl said, sounding much more like Kara Danvers than she would have liked. 

"And being in her seemingly harmless presence, she can manipulate you without you even knowing she's doing it. It's a kind of hypnosis and it's practically unbreakable."

"She got to you? Didn’t she?"

Cat turned back out to the look at the city skyline. "It's a good thing Superman is bullet proof."

Supergirl's confusion was written on her face. "Why?"

"Because during a stakeout, that took a rather unfortunate turn, I picked up a gun and unloaded an entire clip at him when he showed up to rescue Clark Kent and I."

"What happened?"

Cat took another sip from her glass. "We were caught. Separated and questioned. Whisper handled my interrogation and 'whammied' me. Apparently Lois didn't like that Clark hadn't checked in and sent Superman to check up on us."

"I guess I should reach out to the three of them as well?"

"They might be able to help but you will need more than just information. I would suggest that you have your little friends at the DEO start playing with those billions in tax dollars to develop a counter measure to her thrall. That is if she hasn't already gotten to someone assigned to protect the President.” 

"This is all very helpful, Ms. Grant."

"Anything else I can help with?" Cat asked as she moved away from the balcony’s edge.

"In your Mannheim investigation, did you come up against any aliens working with Intergang?"

"Not that I recall. Why?"

Supergirl weighed her options. She could lie to Cat, and hopefully protect her from any additional retaliation or use her as the strong asset she had offered to be. There wasn't much choice. Cat was vital to the investigation. Supergirl had to put her personal feelings aside. "The piece of the investigation that Kara Danvers hasn't dug up is the forensics that the DEO has made classified. They strongly suggest Kyle and Whisper are responsible for the actual killings."

"But..."

"Notes were left on the bodies. Notes held in place with very large blades."

Cat leaned back on one of the sofas and took a longer sip of her drink than what she had been enjoying.

Supergirl continued. "The evidence found on each blade indicates an alien substance that we can't, as of yet, identify."

"So like a finger print of sorts."

"Precisely."

"I'm sorry. I don't recall any aliens. Although since many of you can seem human even when hovering outside my office, I suppose I might have seen some at Intergang and not known."

The comment seemed to explain how it was Cat Grant had so quickly reacted to Supergirl's arrival. Curiosity peaked in the Kryptonian. "How did you know?"

"The screens built into my desk aren't only to watch six different news agencies while I work. I had security cameras put in after the Livewire incident. When a certain hero with an S began dropping in on me unannounced, I added one to the balcony as well."

"I'm glad you have protections in place."

"So next time, try a more direct approach Supergirl." 

\---

Maggie was standing at the counter with Alex's shirt thrown over her for some warmth, or perhaps, if she was being honest, modesty, or perhaps, if she was being really honest, so she could smell the gentle earthy perfume on it that Alex wore. Quietly eating the apple pie from her fridge she was watching Alex sleep. The moonlight was perfectly highlighting the contour of her body, which was wrapped in only a sheet. It was cold in the apartment, the window still open. Closing it wasn’t an option, as that might wake Alex and waking her would mean the spell might be broken. Of course, Maggie knew that when morning came the spell would be broken anyway. 

Maggie tried to chalk up what happened as just sex but she knew better. They had both been guilty of catching themselves about to use certain words, words that were not just slips of the tongue brought on by momentum but words that carried meaning even after all this time. Maggie found she was glad neither of them had managed to speak those words because there was no turning back from them, not again. 

As for the sex itself, four years hadn't diminished their desire for one another. They realized very quickly the air mattress wasn't built for what they wanted and they moved things to the floor, like two college students who didn't care. After, they remained on the floor wrapped around one another, trying to kiss away years of pain. Then they had moved to the shower where strong, determined, touches, tried to wash away fear. When they had moved back to the air mattress they instantly wrapped around one another, holding on tight and not letting go. If it had been just sex, Alex wouldn't have stayed and Maggie wouldn't have been up worrying about the fact that she had stayed. 

Hungry and lost in thought, she didn't dare dream this would work out but instead tried to find a way to protect herself, to remember how the final month had felt. 

Alex had broken her heart so badly in an unraveling that seemed to emerge almost overnight. 

\---------

They had been short with one another for about two weeks but Maggie had chalked it up to stress. Where everything related to life after school was lining for Maggie, Alex was climbing the walls over her research project, which was tied to her degree program. Maggie felt bad that Alex was having a rough time of it and was trying her best to balance giving her girlfriend space and supporting her. 

Walking her way through the science building, with the bag of take out in her hand, Maggie felt silly. Silly wasn't a word she often associated with herself but something about the stupid grin she knew was still had on her face screamed it. It had been there since she got the idea to stop in Santa Cruz, on her way back to campus, and grab Alex some food. By the time she arrived the burger and fries were cold but there was a microwave in the student lounge and it was the thought that counted. 

The taller of them had been working non-stop on her project. It had gotten so bad in the last week she was sleeping on a cot in one of the labs, thanks to permission Maggie had swung for her with Dr. Elliot. It had been kind of the older woman to allow for the exception. She had even done so without asking for anything in return. Maggie supposed the professor's ‘latest friend’ had made it so she was safe.

Looking through the small window into the lab, Maggie could see Alex, alone, with her head in her hand and vigorously tapping one of her pencils on the desk. Her face was very serious and she appeared to be studying one of her books from where it sat on a large stack. 

Knocking first, Maggie then pushed the door open and lifted the bag of take out as a sort of prize. 

Alex pushed up from her chair and a weak smile came to her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone has been working too hard and since I know your buried in all this I thought I would bring a little something to brighten your night."

Alex’s eyes went wide. "Is that what I think that is?"

"Yes but it's probably cold by now." Maggie said as she moved toward Alex.

Alex met her half way and snatched the bag from Maggie's hand and then kissed her hard. "I don't care. I'm so hungry I could probably eat the paper bag. Thank you. You didn't have to but I'm glad you did."

"Have you gotten any sleep?"

"Honestly? No. The numbers aren't adding up and if the numbers don't add up the experiment is a bust and so is my chance at graduating."

"You still have months before the end of your final summer semester. It will come together."

Alex moved to a clean surface and started to unwrap the burger and then dumped the fries on the paper. "I wish I had your outlook." 

"Hey, sit for a second. The math isn't going anywhere."

Alex looked over at Maggie with a sadness she had never shown before and then took a bite from the cold burger. 

Maggie moved towards her. "I don't know the first thing about what you've got going on around here but I can't imagine any of it will make sense if you don't manage a real night's sleep."

"There isn't time for sleep. It's all falling apart."

"Hey, you got this,” Maggie said taking Alex’s free hand.

"I don't. At this point I'm faking it." Tears started to form in Alex's eyes. 

Without a second thought, Maggie took the burger from Alex’s hand and placed it down and then pulled Alex into a tight hug. "That's exhaustion talking. Come to my place tonight. Take a hot bath. Put on some comfy pajamas. Sleep in a real bed and I promise tomorrow those numbers of yours will make more sense."

"I wish I could."

"Alex, you can. Just shelve it for one night and allow yourself to refresh."

"I can't. Look, thanks for the food but I've got to get back to it."

\----

"Mags, come back to bed," Alex said from the darkness of Maggie's apartment. 

Maggie about jumped out of skin as she was pulled back to the present. "I got hungry." 

"Did you eat?"

"Yeah."

"So come back to bed."

Maggie put the fork and plate into the sink and then moved through the darkened apartment, towards the air mattress. "It's cold in here."

"Maybe if you were laying here next to me, instead of standing in your kitchen with a window open, you wouldn't be so cold," Alex said, sarcastically. "My shirt looks good on you."

"Like I said, it's cold."

"Then shut the window,” Alex suggested, her voice bright.

Maggie nodded and moved to the window, shutting it.

"And now you don't need me shirt." Alex’s face was in shadow, the light from outside blocked by where Maggie stood but despite being unable to see the look she was giving, the tone she used was very clear. It was a not so subtle seduction. 

This was insane. They were headed for a fall but Maggie found herself shedding the black silk shirt anyway. As she moved to the mattress, naked, she felt uncharacteristically empowered by her lack of clothing and was trying her best to ignore the past. 

Joining Alex under the sheet, the taller woman immediately ran her hand along the side of Maggie's body and then pulled her close. "You are cold. I thought you were just making excuses."

"Nope. Actually cold." Maggie tried to say more but the words wouldn't come and so the comment sounded curt instead of honest. 

Alex delicately tucked a stray bit hair behind Maggie's ear. "Hey, don't shut down on me now. Not after what just happened."

"What just happened, Alex? We slept together. Us. Two people who've proven we fit about as well as oil and water."

A wide grin, bathed in moonlight, appeared on Alex's face. "Actually, I think we've proven we fit together quite nicely."

The comment was followed by a long, lingering, kiss. Alex’s hand caressing Maggie’s cheek. 

It all felt scary, and crazy, and electric. Maggie’s mind tried again but wasn’t going to be allowed to get a vote. Her body reacted and her heart began to try and cope but even it gave up as time stood still and Maggie tried to convince herself, that maybe, they could manage not to screw it up this time.


	13. Chapter 13

The moment Maggie turned off the hair dryer she head Alex yelling from the kitchen but couldn’t make out what she said. “What?!”

"I said, do you know you have nothing in your fridge?" Alex yelled again.

Maggie put down her hairbrush, put on her shirt, and yelled back. "I told you, I prefer to eat out."

"I understand, I don't cook that often either, but everybody has something in their fridge."

"Not me," Maggie said as she opened the bathroom door and then moved through the apartment. She got so she could see Alex, who was bent over, staring into the refrigerator, like she was expecting food to magically appear. 

"There isn't even a carton of eggs, or a block of cheese."

"Nope."

"You have a half bag of ground coffee, some beers, three bottles of water and butter and the freezer is worse. There is vodka and 6 ice cubes." 

"Sounds about right," Maggie said with a smile. 

Alex closed the door and turned to Maggie. "Remind me to suggest the next time we spend the night together that we do it at my apartment."

The implication wasn't lost on Maggie but she was too tired and too confused to try and walk down that path with Alex right now. So instead she headed to the sink so she could fill the coffee pot with water. She changed the subject. "Are you sure you don't want to borrow one of my t-shirts?"

"Do I look that bad?"

"The shirt is pretty wrinkled."

"No one will see it under my jacket. I'll go home to change before I head in, but first we need food."

"Coffee usually suits me just fine in the morning," Maggie explained, as she moved to where Alex had been standing, in order to retrieve her bag of coffee from the fridge. 

Alex blocked her attempt. "Coffee is a great idea but I'm starving. So we are going to breakfast." The request seemed non-negotiable especially as Alex leaned in and gently kissed Maggie on the lips. 

It was unexpected but far from unpleasant. "What are you in the mood for?" 

"You said Terry and Dhara prep most mornings and they usually feed you if you drop in. Let's just go there."

Warning bells went off in Maggie's head but she didn't say no. 

\---

The reminder of Kara's evening had been uneventful but enlightening. Supergirl had made sure Cat Grant had gotten home without incident. When they arrived, by car of all things since Ms. Grant had refused the offer of a flight home, Carter was awake. It was way past his bedtime but his mother hadn't scolded him. 

Cat later explained, after her son had gone to bed, that since a consistent routine was important to him, he was never punished for staying up when she worked late. It wasn't his fault she wasn't home and so Cat forgave him the nights he waited up for her. 

Carter had been very excited by Supergirl's presence. He immediately set aside the large book he was reading and ran to greet her at the door. Perhaps, because she felt bad that he had waited up, or perhaps, because of the big smile on his face, Cat asked Supergirl to stay for a little while. The three of them talked, mostly about Carter's school year and the book he was reading until he was yawning more than talking. After he went to bed, the women had moved to the balcony of Cat’s Penthouse, with it’s equally stunning view of the city, and found themselves discussing the very real ramifications of an effort to build distrust and hate centered around Meta humans. 

Kara could only speak first hand to Krypton's past and found herself giving Cat a history lesson of her planet including background on what had led to her Aunt Astra being marked a criminal on their home world. They had never really spoken in great detail about the events from Krypton’s past that had nearly led to the Earth’s destruction. Cat listened intently and without so much as a question about any of the circumstances. After she was finished talking, Kara realized she had likely shared more than she might have had Cat pushed. It was another example of why Cat was one of the best in the business and Kara saw another side of the media mogul that she had yet to experience.

When the conversation turned to Earth’s past it was Cat’s turn to share. Kara recalled from school that the cycle of vilifying people for being ‘other’ was a theme throughout earth’s history. During her time on earth as Kara Danvers, she had some practical understanding of many civil rights issues including the gay rights movement in America and she had, of course, learned about World War 2 but during Kara's time on earth she hadn't lived through much in the way of real social strife. It was only since she put on the cape, and began to interact with the world at large, that she started to see first hand the cruelty that humans were capable of.

It seemed Cat not only had a vast knowledge but also a great love of history and it was a real blow to Supergirl's optimism to hear Cat tell of world events that she had experienced in her lifetime. Before she was behind a desk, she had covered war and genocide the world over and as the conversation continued yet another layer of Cat Grant was revealed. Cat had poured herself a glass of wine and when she was about half way through it the weight of being a mother emerged in the way she spoke of things. She wanted a better world not only for her children but every child. Cat acknowledged that Carter, and even her other son, were lucky that she was a person of means but what about those children who were not as lucky, like the murdered young man she had read about in Kara Danver’s notes? Everything at CatCo was factual and unbiased but it was obvious Cat Grant had a soft spot for the underdog and a strong belief in fairness. 

The conversation came to a natural conclusion and Supergirl had said good night before taking off to the sky. While flying back to her apartment all that Cat had shared echoed in Kara’s mind. The wind on her face and tears in her eyes, she went back to the balcony at CatCo for a while to let it all sink in. Kara always felt more at ease staring at the skyline of National City.

Other than when she was around Alex, and maybe J'onn, Supergirl only presented joy around people. Kara felt an obligation to remain strong when in public wearing her family’s crest but sometimes that was the most difficult part of wearing the cape. Tonight, she learned she wasn’t alone in that obligation. Even though Cat Grant’s suits were designer, and purchased from somewhere like Barneys, Kara realized she and Cat Grant had that in common. They both had to remain strong when in public. After a good cry on the balcony, Kara continued home. 

When she got back to her apartment and despite the late hour, Kara reached out to Clark. She wasn't sure why she hadn't called him when Cat had mentioned his involvement before, but had hoped maybe there was something he could offer up that would help Oracle in the search. He didn't have much to offer, that Cat hadn't already shared, but he thought Lois had done some digging after Mannheim was arrested and said he would check with her in the morning and forward anything they had directly to Oracle. 

Sleep wasn't something Kara often craved but after the long talk with Cat and the sadness she felt from the history lesson, the hero was asleep almost the moment her head had hit the pillow. 

The next morning, while enjoying a big breakfast and a very big mug of coffee, a text appeared on Kara's DEO issued phone. 

The message read: 'Computer ~ O'. 

Assuming the intent, Kara opened her very secure laptop and the moment the WiFi connected, the Oracle mask appeared. 

"Good morning, Ms. Danvers," the altered voice said, as the mask glowed. 

"Umm, good morning."

"Sorry to have to change our means of communicating but with time running out I thought it best we talk as soon as possible especially after adding Lois Lane’s research to the mix."

"May I ask how you discovered how to contact me?"

"There are very few secrets I don't know or can't find out but, like Clark, yours is safe with me."

It seemed the infamous hacker was full of surprises. Clark had vouched for the Gotham team, which was good enough for Kara. “I appreciate that. So what new information have you gathered?"

\---

They were about two blocks from the restaurant when Maggie felt Alex's hand slide into hers. Two very contradictory reactions immediately battled it out in Maggie's brain. One wanted to relax into it and enjoy the contact while the other wanted to let go and lash out. She settled on a compromise. Maggie didn't free her hand but she did turn to glance in Alex's direction. "What is happening?"

"We are going to go have breakfast."

The coy sarcasm didn't sit well. Alex knew what she meant. Maggie stopped walking and lifted up their joined hands. "What is happening with this?"

"We are, umm, holding hands." Alex explained, sounding confused. 

Maybe she didn't know what Maggie had meant. 

"Yes, us holding hands, in public."

"Is there a problem?"

"Alex, you don't have to do this just to prove some point."

"Maggie, I'm doing this cause I want to hold your hand.”

"Just like that?"

"I know that maybe I haven't earned it but trust me."

\---

The Intel from Oracle was compelling and slightly unnerving. Lois’ information solidified some things, as did something Cat had said the night before. Kara, knowing the overly competitive rivalry, made a mental note to never tell either woman, that together, they had provided the details needed to form a solid plan to protect the President. 

There was another layer that had been uncovered that was of real concern. Something provided by Lois that, along with new details Oracle had discovered, strengthened the reasoning for limiting who would have access to information on the investigation itself and also finally confirmed that the conspiracy was about more than disgruntled, powerful business leaders.

Quickly finishing her breakfast, Kara then took an even faster shower, dressed in her suit and cape, and called J'onn. 

\---

Dhara stood at the back door, off the kitchen, smiling at them. "Come in, come in."

"It was a long night running down a case,” Maggie said to the restaurant’s owner. “Mind if Alex and I bother you for some breakfast?" 

"Of course, not. It's nice to see you both and for once, you aren't alone." Dhara said, perhaps a little to pointedly at Maggie. "Grab your table. I have coffee brewing and I will see what we can whip up."

Alex smiled. "Please don't go out of your way, Dhara. We don't want to be a bother."

"You keep people safe. You help people. It is our pleasure and it is no bother. Coffee is coming."

Alex and Maggie moved through the kitchen and into the dining room and then to the booth in the back, where they had been sitting the other evening. 

As they sat, Alex cleared her throat. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?

"Tell her we were working late."

"I would rather people stay out of my business."

"I see,” Alex said with a tone that spoke volumes.

Looks were shared between the pair and Maggie filled in the blank of what she assumed Alex was implying. "Whatever this is we are doing, I'm not willing to open it up to the world.”

"Convenient."

"Please don't."

"Don’t what? Point out this interesting turn of events.”

"I don't want to argue with you. Not here. They opened up so we could have breakfast not so we could dissect whatever this is between us."

"Why does it have to be an argument? Maggie, we need to talk."

"So let's talk. You’re acting like we don't have a past. Like we can start something up as if nothing ever happened between us."

"How is that a bad thing?”

Maggie was barely keeping her temper in check. “Cause we have a past.”

“I asked you to trust me."

"Trust is earned."

"Can’t you tell after last night..."

"After last night all I can tell is that we still have great sexual chemistry. How can I trust the rest after everything that happened between us?"

"By just doing it. I’m managing.”

"What do you have to be concerned about?"

"You leaving again."

"Alex, you tossed me out of your life."

"You walked away after our first problem. You just walked."

"Cause you told me you didn't have room for me and that.... oh, you are so frustrating."

"I'm not exactly alone there."

"What does that mean?"

"Do you hear yourself?" Alex asked, with sadness in her voice.

"Another shoe is going to drop and then what?"

"You didn't even try to fight for us. You just disappeared."

"Because I never stay where I'm not wanted, Alex, and it was clear that keeping secrets was more important to you than being with me."

"That was then. I should never have pushed you away but you have to understand I wasn’t in a good place. I had a lot going on."

"So now you are magically, no longer feeling self conscious about it?"

"I'm not ready to march through the DEO holding your hand in the middle of this investigation but that doesn't mean when this is over I want to hide. I want to spend time getting to know you again, Maggie. I want to see where this might take us."

Maggie’s eyes rolled. "Just not in public."

"I just walked down the street holding your hand and you were the one who just lied to your friends about us working last night. I'm okay with public but I don't think either one of us wants to compromise or distract from the investigation though."

Maggie had to admit she didn't want to risk that. It was too important. She owed it to the victims to put bringing their killers to justice ahead of anything else but history always had a way of repeating itself and Alex’s past behavior couldn’t exactly be erased by one walk to the restaurant holding hands.

Before Maggie could explain herself, Alex's phone rang. "Danvers," she said picking it up. There was a long pause before she continued. "So meet there? No, I'm not home. Went for a run. Use your key. I’ll be there soon."

"The case?" Maggie asked.

"Yes. Food will have to wait."

"Why?"

Maggie's phone rang in her jacket pocket.

"That's why."

\---

Arriving at Alex's apartment, Supergirl let herself in to wait for the others to arrive. The apartment was spotless, as usual, with the exception of a quilt thrown rather haphazardly over the back of the sofa. Kara collected it from where it was, folded it, and then returned it to the foot of Alex’s bed where Kara knew it always lived.

When she had reached Alex, Kara was surprised that she was already up at such an early hour and that she wasn’t home. Her sister had a very defined morning routine that didn't often include a run. She usually saved those for when she needed a break from work at the DEO. The facility had a large state of the art fitness room and track.

Noticing the coffee pot wasn’t even on, Kara made some for the group that would be assembling. It had just finished brewing when the front door opened and Alex came inside. 

“You made coffee,” Alex said as she took a deep inhale of the aroma. “Thank you. You didn’t happen to pick up donuts or something?”

“I didn’t but I could fly out and grab some before the others arrive,” Kara offered.

“Would you mind?”

“No, I could go grab some.”

“You are a lifesaver.” Something seems off with Alex. 

"Did you go running like that?" Kara asked as she moved to pour her sister a cup of coffee.

"I joined a twenty four hour neighborhood gym and I got myself a locker there. I was planning on heading into work after my workout." Alex explained in a way that sounded oddly rehearsed. She then took the cup of coffee from Kara's hand.

"Oh," Kara said knowing full well her sister was lying. 

“I’ll let the others in. Make sure you grab J’onn a bagel. You know he’s not fond of donuts.”

“Right,” Kara said as she took off out the window.

During the entire trip to the shop and back, Kara couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with her sister.


	14. Chapter 14

It was Maggie that had insisted they head over separately but Alex hadn't argued. Having ordered a Lyft to head back to her apartment, Alex put on her coat and said she would be back later to get her car from where it was parked by Maggie's place. When they parted there had been no physical contact between them. Maggie wasn't sure if that was because they were both now upset, confused, or because she didn't really want Dhara or Terry asking questions. 

Ducking her head back into the kitchen, Maggie told the couple that they had to leave because something had come up with work. They had insisted she wait a few moments while they bagged up some bakery items and sandwiches for Maggie to take with her. It had been incredibly kind of them and after enough food to feed a family of six was placed in a large paper bag Dhara walked her out. 

Shutting the door to the kitchen, Dhara then took Maggie’s hand. "I like her. She challenges you but I will not pry."

At least the comment wasn’t a question, Maggie supposed. "We're colleagues.”

"My blind Naniji could see you are more than that but I will not pry,” Dhara smiled, knowingly. “But I like her."

"Noted," Maggie said with a small laugh. 

"Hope to see you both for dinner."

"Depends on works."

"Then I hope to see you both soon,” the older woman, said as she released Maggie’s hand.

"Thanks again for the food." Maggie replied and then headed back to her apartment. 

The knee jerk reaction to someone seeing them together might have been to lie but not because Alex was a woman. For as long as she could remember Maggie was open about the fact she dated women. Her split second decision to make up a reason for their arrival together had to do with being unable to handle people asking questions about Alex specifically. Questions were usually followed by having to give answers and Maggie didn’t have answers. The past was still unresolved, there was the recent break up with Kate, and now the undeniable attraction she had acted on towards Alex were all swimming around in her head. Maggie couldn't instantaneously self analyze and she had yet to really process what was going on. Her mind, her heart, and her body were at odds. 

Luckily, Maggie was pretty good at compartmentalizing. Work would make that easier to do. The case came first and whatever had come to light, it must have been big because when Supergirl called she seemed anxious to discuss it. 

Arriving at her place, Maggie ran upstairs, grabbed her jacket and her helmet, and then made her way to her bike. Not wanting to waste any of the food, she put the bag in the pannier, figuring she might as well feed everyone while they reviewed the case. At least two of them, she knew, would be hungry. 

Pulling out of the space she had parked her bike and moving into traffic, she realized getting were she was headed wouldn’t be as easy as it would have been twenty minutes earlier. Most of the rush hour traffic she could avoid by not taking the expressway but it would still be slow. As Maggie wove through the streets of National City, and with nothing else to focus on, she forced herself to consider how she got here. 

\---

The tension in the lab was high. The two of them had been, far too politely, discussing the same topic for over twenty minutes without any sign of a resolution. In general this was how they had been communicating, or not communicating, for over a month but this was bigger than any disagreements about where to go to dinner, when Alex managed a break from the lab, or if she was staying over.

With Maggie’s graduation only a few days away, she had finally heard from the firms she had applied to for summer work. Her first choice had come through. It was one of the leading firms in the country when it came to civil right's work and it was located nearby, just north, but for some reason she found herself hesitating to say yes to the offer.

"Just take it," Alex said as she closed the book in front of her. 

Maggie leaned back in the chair she was sitting in causing two of the legs to come off the floor. "What if I don't want to take it?"

"But you do want to take it. We both know this is exactly where you were hoping to land."

"So what? There are other options."

“It’s only, like forty minutes away,” Alex reminded her as she moved the book to a large stack on another workstation, "and you said this was the one."

"Alex, I appreciate you looking out for me but I have a pretty significant number of options to choose from and I want to make sure I pick the correct one."

"But none of the other offers include working for that firm." Alex explained, crossing her arms.

"It's about the work I get to do, not the firm I do it at."

"Even I know what working for them this summer would mean for your career."

Maggie brought the chair back down to the floor and stood. "There is more to life."  
.   
Alex’s eyes rolled as she leaned against a cabinet. She seemed to take in the lab and her tone turned serious. “Not from where I’m standing.” 

“Where you are standing, you’ve been standing for far too long lately. When was the last time you got out of here?”

“I slept at your place two nights ago.”

Maggie moved to where Alex was leaning. “And before that?”

“I don’t remember.”

“That can’t be a good thing.”

“I know. My advisor called yesterday. A few of my professors aren’t taking my absence from class very well. I’ve screwed everything up.”

“No, you haven’t,” Maggie offered as she drew her arms around Alex and pulled her close. “You are just trying to take on too much. You need to rest so you can reset yourself. What’s the worse that could happen?”

Alex’s arms closed in around Maggie. The hug was tight, like she was afraid to let go. “They kick me out of school.”

“So don’t get kicked out. Get back to class. Table all this.”

“I can’t earn my degree without completing it.”

“You can’t earn your degree without completing a final thesis. Maybe this isn’t the final project you are meant to graduate with.”

“It’s too late to switch gears.”

Maggie gently brought her hand to Alex’s chin and moved her face so their eyes were locked on one another. “So talk to your advisor about pushing graduation until the fall semester. The world isn’t going anywhere. If you don’t finish it until November, so what? You’ll have your doctorate either way.”

Alex looked defeated. “Easy for you to say.” 

“You are brilliant, sexy, and have a really big heart but you put too much pressure on yourself.” Maggie whispered, peppering each compliment with a kiss. “No one is going to think less of you if you slow down a little.”

“You don’t know my mother,” Alex replied, and then moved to lean in to return the kisses when the door to the lab flew open and instead she pushed away, fast.

“I brought you by some lunch cause we both know you haven’t been eating”, said a rather perky, plainly dressed, young woman, wearing glasses, and her hair pulled into a ponytail. 

“Kara,” Alex said, panic in her eyes, as she shot through the lab towards the woman as if ejected from a canon. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you, I brought you lunch.” The woman said, holding up a white paper bag that looked to be from a fancy coffee shop. “Oh, hi,” the woman said noticing Maggie leaning on the cabinet. “I’m Kara, Alex’s sister.”

Alex spun to Maggie, her eyes pleading. Maggie’s heart sunk. She had seen that look before. “Hi, I’m Maggie, nice to meet you.”

“You two lab partners or something.”

“Or something.” Alex awkwardly replied, as she took the bag from her sister’s hand and placed it down on a table nearby. 

It was time to spin something that wasn’t entirely the truth. “I’m a criminal justice major. Alex, offered to take a time out from her thesis work and give me a run down on basic biology for a case I need to mock trial in front of my professor as part of my final in criminal procedure.”

“Well, she’s the smartest person I know. If anyone can help you, it would be Alex.”

“It’s no big deal,” Alex stammered.

“I should let you two get back to it. Make sure she eats. She gets so caught up in the work, she some times forgets.” Kara laughed, her smile big. She ran to her sister and gave her a hug. “Love you. Don’t work too hard.”

“I’ll try.”

After the perky young woman pulled away, she moved to the door, and then turned back, the smile still on her face. She waved. “It was really nice meeting you.”

“Nice meeting you.”

Kara turned one last time to her sister. Seemed to be considering something but then left without saying another word.

After a minute, Maggie broke the silence. “She seems nice.”

“She is,” Alex said, as she took the bag and moved it on to the workstation where her books were piled up. She stared at the bag for a moment and then spoke without turning around. “You need to take the job.”

“We will get back to talking about that in a second but right now I think we need to be talking about you. What just happened?”

Alex’s hands were resting on the table. Her head was down. She didn’t answer.

Maggie moved to Alex’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Alex, talk to me.”

Alex took a deep breath and then turned, a cold smile on her face. “Nothing to talk about. You should take the job and I should get back to work.”

“No. I think we should talk about what just happened.”

“What about it?”

“How about the fact I just met your sister?”

“Yes, you did.”

“How about the fact your eyes were pleading with me to make up any excuse for what I was doing here with you?”

“I didn’t ask you to lie.”

Maggie knew Alex actually hadn’t said the words but she had, in fact, asked her to lie. “No, you just looked scared to death. She doesn’t know about you, about us, does she?”

“No. She doesn’t,” Alex’s response was as cold and distant as the smile had been.

“And why doesn’t she?”

Alex spun away from Maggie’s gaze. “Because there are some things in my life that are just mine.”

“Hey,” Maggie said, moving so they were facing one another again. “That sounds like an excuse. I know the two of you had a complicated childhood, when your family adopted her, but she seems nice.”

“She is.”

“I thought you two were close now.”

“We are,” Alex replied, defensively.

“But I’m something to keep secret?” Maggie was trying her best to keep her temper in check. She had been down this road before with other women and it was never smooth. “I'm not asking you to march in a parade with me but pulling away, when your sister came in, that was a low blow.”

“You're putting too much pressure on me.” 

Maggie took a step back, stunned. “Forgive me for wanting to let people know how happy we are.”

“Look, I don't have time for this. I’ve got to get back to work.” 

“It's always all about the science with you. This matters Alex. We matter.” 

“I can't fight anymore today, Maggie. I can’t take the drama.”

Without knowing it, Alex had struck a nerve and Maggie’s temper emerged. “What does that mean?”

"I think it means you should take the job and we should say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Goodbye. Wow.” Maggie felt the room start to spin. “You don’t mean that.”

“Maybe I do.”

Maggie was afraid of what she would say if she opened her mouth. Usually she was terrible at keeping silent but she just stared at Alex, demanding the tears not fall. 

When Alex didn’t speak either, Maggie grabbed her jacket off the chair and then moved to the door to the lab. Turning to look at Alex one last time, she saw tears running down Alex's cheek but still the scientist said nothing and as the door to the science lab closed, Maggie pulled the keys to her bike from her jeans pocket and vowed to never look back. 

\----


	15. Chapter 15

Arriving at the address she had been instructed to go to, Maggie took off her helmet, locked up her bike, and shoved her keys into the pocket of her jeans. She retrieved the bag of sandwiches and baked goods and headed up to what looked like a residential building. It was very nondescript but didn't seem secure, especially after a young man, in a business suit and wearing earphones, came bounding out the door that he then waited to hold open for Maggie. If she was meant to be buzzed up, which from the panel on the wall it would seem she was, Maggie had just gotten inside with no issue and completely unannounced.

Supergirl had said she was to head to three zero eight. So Maggie went to the elevator and pushed the button for floor three. When the door opened on the third floor, an elderly woman, with a small dog on a leash, smiled at Maggie as the two passed one another. The dog barked at Maggie, obviously unhappy with her presence.

"Quiet, Otto," the old woman said, as hit the floor she wanted. "Sorry, he gets worked up around strangers."

"Good that he's cautious," Maggie smiled, as the door closed. So far the dog was as close to a security system as the building seemed to have so Maggie appreciated the animal's protective nature. 

She supposed that maybe a nondescript residential building was a good, out of the way place to discuss a secret government operation but it wouldn't have been her first choice. Moving down the hallway she located the door she was looking for and knocked.

The door opened and Alex, having changed clothes, stood in the doorway. “Come in."

"Good to see you, Detective," Supergirl smiled, from behind the kitchen island where she was handing over a cup of coffee to Director Henshaw. "Can I pour you some?"

Maggie appreciated the offer of caffeine. "Please," she said as she put her helmet down and took her coat off while trying to ignore the tiny twinge of ‘cool’ she felt because Supergirl was pouring her coffee. "Sorry, it took me some time to get here. I was out having breakfast and had to go back to get my bike. Oh, I brought some stuff with me," she offered, as she put the bag down on the counter. "When I said I was heading to work, the owners insisted I bring stuff with me. There are sandwiches and pastries."

Alex began unpacking the offerings and setting them out. "From that restaurant we chatted at the other night?"

"Yes," Maggie said taking the mug from Supergirl and being surprisingly understanding of how vaguely Alex phrased things. 

"Thank them for us. There are also donuts in the box on the island. They are from the best bakery in the city."

Since the small kitchenette was crowded, Maggie moved into the main living space. "Thanks." 

Looking around the room, while sipping her coffee, Maggie tried to put things together. The apartment was tastefully decorated in very neutral colors and with all the necessary amenities but was lacking in anything overly personal. Perhaps the apartment was a safe house for the witness relocation program. 

Her mind continued to consider what the apartment was for when she noticed a few small photos in frames on the mantle. She glanced at them in a way as to not look like she was looking and realized it wasn't a safe house. This was Alex's apartment. 

A small smile came to Maggie's face at the sight of the photos. They represented progress for Alex. She was never one for sentimentality, it was one of the things they had in common, but Alex's aversion to it had come from a place of pain; having lost her father, a scientist who worked for the government, during a mission. 

One of the pictures, of the entire family, was up in Alex's apartment during school but it had been displayed in an out of the way place on a table by the window. Now the photo was on the mantle, in full view. 

Along with it, there were others that Maggie hadn't seen before. One was a candid photo of Alex’s parents smiling at one another and looking very much in love. There was also a single photo of just her dad. It looked as if Alex had resolved some of her grief and now celebrated the family's happier times. The other two photos were of Alex and her sister, when they were kids, and one that appeared to be a recent one of just her sister. She seemed to have grown up into a lovely young woman. 

Not really comfortable taking in the photos too closely and knowing there was work to discuss, Maggie completed her walk around the living space and settled on the arm of the sofa waiting to hear what Supergirl had discovered.

"Supergirl, why don't you fill everyone in," J'onn, in his Henshaw form, said as he took a sip from his mug. 

"After folding in Detective Sawyer's contact in Gotham we have been able to confirm we are dealing with Kyle Abbott and his employer Whisper A'Daire. The medical examiner reports we have access to match the pattern of attack the pair is known for, including markings that are consistent with clawing and acid burns. Oracle was also able to match forensic material, bagged at Detective Sawyer’s most recent crime scene, and match it with hair from Abbott that was left at a crime scene twelve years ago."

"How is it that it took Oracle to match it up?" Alex asked, before Maggie could.

"Previously, he managed to get off on a technicality and then the record was buried deep."

The conspiracy continued to deepen and Maggie continued to feel grateful to Oracle for the help. "Where does that leave us?"

"We now know who we are looking for but there is an additional wrinkle."

"What kind?" Alex asked, with professional concern. 

"Information I was able to get from Cat Grant. It seems A'Daire's skills with hypnosis are not some parlor trick."

"What does that mean?" Maggie asked, as she moved to the island to retrieve one of the croissants she brought from McConners. 

"The way Ms. Grant described it, you don't know it's happening and it has to wear off over time."

"How much time?"

"To hear Superman tell it, took Cat about six hours, after the instruction was triggered, for her to shake it."

J'onn reached over and retrieved a bagel from the box of donuts. "Explain."

"During her investigation of Intergang, Cat found herself on the receiving end of A'Daire's mental manipulation and ended up firing an entire clip into Superman."

"Good thing he's bulletproof," Alex said in a tone that sounded like she had a personal stake in the outcome. 

Supergirl nodded. "Those were her words also. Superman said the rescue was made very difficult as Cat was determined to kill him. She recalled shooting at him, perhaps because it was so traumatic, but, as far as he knows, she never ended up remembering her repeated attempts to cause him harm during the escape. There was also no talking her down. It just had to wear off."

"Do we have anything that points to how it works?" Maggie asked

"Not yet. Oracle is working on it. There are two reported victims of her brainwashing at Arkham Asylum and from what little Oracle has pulled on them so far the planted instructions can remain dormant for a while."

Maggie was confused. "How can that be confirmed if the victims have no memory of the encounter?"

"These two were already patients at Arkham and were visited by A'Daire. I'm having Oracle send over the surveillance video. There is no audio but A'Daire met with each of them separately about three months prior to their erratic behavior."

Alex looked lost. "Aren't erratic inmates in an insane Asylum a normal occurrence?"

"This was more so than usual and conveniently timed with a breakout by an Intergang member. Hours later they had no explanation for why they had behaved how they had. One was quite angry about being, what she described as, 'played with'. She reported to her Psychiatrist seeing a beautiful redhead taunting her throughout the day and into the following morning. Seventy-two hours later, no matter how hard she tried, other than the hair color and the sense that she was beautiful, she could no longer describe the woman."

"So our witnesses are Cat Grant and mental patients?" Alex shook her head and then took a bite from a donut. 

"From what Oracle knows of the situation the Intel is to be believed."

"And she didn't visit the patients the day of the riot?" J'onn asked. 

"No. Neither of them had any visitors and the only interaction they had was with the Intergang member who broke out."

Maggie nodded. "So Oracle believes the Intergang member was provided the means to trigger them to make an escape easier."

"Exactly."

"I'll recruit Winn and see if he can develop some kind of counter measure against this," J'onn told them.

"Shouldn't we already have something in our arsenal?" Alex inquired. 

"I don't think so," J'onn replied. "And even if we had something, borrowing it could let someone know we are on to them. It’s best that we see what Winn can pull together before Sunday."

Maggie exhaled. "Science on a timeline. Great."

"There is one more thing," Supergirl added. 

"What?" Alex said. 

"The conspiracy itself might be pointing in a familiar direction."

The other three exchanged glances leaving Maggie to wonder what ‘direction’ Supergirl was implying.

"Last year?" Alex asked

Supergirl, soberly, nodded. 

"What happened last year?"

J'onn stood and moved to refill his coffee. "You might have seen on the news that last year there was a much more public disagreement as to how to handle aliens on earth. Some in government were even pushing to label all aliens hostiles and have them all jailed."

"Disagreement?" Alex questioned, her tone harsh. "Supergirl was nearly killed by our own people and you and I almost ended up guests at Cadmus."

"Cadmus?"

"Agent Danvers will fill you in later." J'onn said as he moved back and took a seat again. "It just reinforces why we can't trust anyone else inside the DEO."

"And Lucy?" Alex asked. 

"We've got no choice but to keep her in the dark," Supergirl said with sadness in her eyes. 

"She won't like it."

Before Maggie could interrupt and inquire who Lucy was, Alex spoke. "The military assigned co-director of the DEO. Her father is a military General, who showed and continues to show a rather partisan approach to aliens."

The existence of myopic military leaders wasn’t exactly a surprising factoid for Maggie. "Did Oracle find a computer trail?"

"She's working on one," Supergirl said, as she put her mug down.

Alex moved to refill her cup. "We know about General Lane’s issues with aliens. Why has he moved onto the suspect list?”

"Lois Lane." Supergirl said. "Ms. Grant suggested I reach out to her and Clark Kent. When Cat and Clark went missing during their investigation into Intergang it was Lois that sent Superman to get them. So perhaps she would have some research on the group. Lois didn't have anything new on Intergang but she offered up some alarming research on their father."

"Their father?"

Alex addressed Maggie's question. "Lois and Lucy are sisters."

Supergirl nodded. "Lois caught wind of what happened to us last year. Her father's involvement plus the distaste he has towards Lois' friendship with Superman, made her suspicious and she started investigating. She is convinced if there is a conspiracy afoot against Metas that he would be a part of it." 

J'onn's eyes changed color, the same as Maggie had witnessed during their first meeting. It seemed when angry and in his human form, he had what poker players would call 'a tell'. The color began to change back as he spoke. "So we continue to update Lucy on the President’s protection detail and let her know the investigation into the Meta Murders is on going but since the President is the priority we have moved the other investigation down the list."

"Who is this Winn person?" Maggie asked. "Not to doubt your vetting process but can we trust him?"

"He's trustworthy and so under the radar there is no chance anyone would have thought to approach him," Supergirl said vouching for this Winn person. 

Alex got that look on her face, like she used to when trying to work out a science problem. "But we can't be certain this A'Daire woman hasn't already gotten to someone on the protection detail?"

"No, we can't be sure. There would be no obvious signs," Supergirl explained. "Which means we all must remain extra vigilant."

The odds of success were slipping every time Supergirl offered up more information. 

"Any leads where they are hiding out?" Maggie asked. 

Supergirl shook her head. "Oracle is still trying to get a bead on them. The trail went cold after they landed at National City airport. They were caught on surveillance cameras at baggage claim and then outside the airport as they climbed into a black sedan with no plates."

"Secret service arrives tomorrow for the final walk through." J'onn added. "So the clock is ticking. We need to try and crack this in the next forty-eight hours or protecting the President will get far more difficult. Until then none of us should travel anywhere alone."

"DEO headquarters should be a safe zone.” Alex predicted.

"For a run in with A'Daire, true," Supergirl said. "But with no idea who might be compromised we should find an offsite location for Winn to work on a counter measure against her thrall. And we should plan on traveling in pairs."

“They did get pictures of you and I at the park the other day,” Maggie said to the director. 

J'onn nodded. "Since our servers also indicate Alex and Supergirl's involvement, as well as twenty seven other agents, you are right, we should never be alone in public."

Alex interjected. "CatCo is going to need to be locked down also."

Agreed." Supergirl replied. "Cat Grant, the reporter she has working with her on it, and the photographer she assigned will have direct access to the President and myself before and after the ceremony.

"James?" Alex asked.

"I believe so."

J'onn took in the new information. "I will bring Mr. Olsen to wherever we bring Mr. Schott. They can watch out for one another. Supergirl, why don't you join me at CatCo?"

"Okay," Supergirl said, putting her coffee onto the island. 

"What about us?" Maggie asked, afraid of what the answer was going to be. 

"Get from Oracle the complete dossier she has on both of them,” Supergirl asked. “She indicated it’s much more complete than what the White House sent over.”

J’onn turned to the women. “And contact Oracle if anything jumps out at either of you after reading it. Oh, and stick together."

Alex nodded. "Understood."

J'onn stood from the stool and then he transformed into his alien form. As Hank Henshaw he was already a towering figure but as himself he barely made it through the door to the small balcony off Alex's apartment. "Be in touch."

Supergirl also moved to the balcony and the pair of them flew off leaving Alex and Maggie alone with a nearly empty pot of coffee, more donuts and food than either of them could eat in a week, a complicated mystery to try and solve, and a lot of added tension.

\---

"So what's the plan?" Supergirl asked against the roar of the wind as the pair of them flew through the sky. 

”You should tell Cat that Kara and James Olsen have been taken into protective custody and that she and her son also need to be taken in."

"She won't go."

"I’m hoping she doesn’t," J'onn said, his reasons obvious.

"So we don't need to worry about her inquiring after Kara Danvers while in protective custody."

"Correct. We don’t have time to be playing ‘trick Cat Grant’ right now."

"So now I am on protection duty," Supergirl said, wishing that he had just agreed to it originally. Perhaps if the DEO hadn’t sent agents into CatCo there wouldn’t be any worries about any of them being compromised.

"Unfortunately, yes. I will call back Vasquez and the rest of the team. With A'Daire's skills in play, the safest plan is to hold them all at headquarters."

"Won't that raise red flags if Lane, or anyone else on the inside, catches wind of a lockdown?"

"The threat against the President makes for a good smokescreen. I'll have them all focused on identifying suspects."

It was a good idea. "Make it seem to be a routine ‘all hands on deck’."

"And if anyone has been compromised or is actually a mole we should be able to find them. I need you to have Oracle break in and monitor all DEO communications.”

"You want a hacker to infiltrate the DEO servers."

"Yes. As soon as possible."

"I'll reach out immediately."

\---

Maggie moved to the island and put down her cup while Alex loaded the dirty mugs into her small dishwasher. "So brainwashing and the possibility that one of your superiors is orchestrating a murder spree, quite a life."

"It’s never boring."

"Is there any more coffee?"

"Here," Alex offered, as she grabbed the pot and filled up Maggie's mug. "I can make more."

"No, don’t bother. This will cover me for now," Maggie moved the coffee to her lips, blew on it, and took a drink. "So Cadmus?"

Despite Maggie saying she was okay with the coffee she had, Alex had turned her back and was refilling the pot with water. "Secret organization. Incredibly dangerous. We believe they have my father."

Years before when Alex had finally opened up about her family, the sadness that Maggie sometimes saw within her finally made sense. So the matter of fact way she dropped the news that he might be alive was a surprise. "Wait..."

Alex interrupted, anticipating the question. "It seems that way."

"Do you know where he is?" Maggie asked, as she started to collect up the unopened sandwiches and placed them in the fridge. 

Alex poured the water from the pot into the coffee maker and set about to make more. "Cadmus is a shadow. J'onn tried to help me locate them last year but other things took priority."

Knowing all to well some of the major near catastrophes in National City, Maggie picked one. "Like the city being controlled by some alien technology?"

Alex nodded. "Like that."

"Any chance Cadmus is behind all of this?"

"From what we've gathered, they prefer to experiment on Metas not murder them."

"Perhaps a splinter group?"

Alex shrugged. "Might be worth having Oracle look into it."

"I'll make a call."

"Thanks, Maggie."

\---

When they arrived at CatCo, J'onn transformed back and then Hank Henshaw went immediately to Winn's desk and collected him up before heading to James' office and doing the same. The three of them were then heading to a secure location where they could safely work. 

Landing on Cat Grant's balcony, Supergirl was surprised to find Cat unusually dressed and sitting on her sofa outside instead of at her desk inside. CatCo had casual Fridays but Cat Grant never participated and yet there she was in jeans, a blouse, and a blazer. Granted all three items probably cost Cat more than what Kara made in two months, with overtime, but none of it was anything Kara had ever seen her boss wearing. 

"Good morning, Ms. Grant."

Cat looked up from the yellow steno-pad she was feverishly writing on. "Supergirl."

"Is everything, okay?"

Cat immediately understood the reason for the question and gestured to her attire. "This? A rather enthusiastic associate from accounting was texting while walking and managed to run into me, drowning me with the smoothie she was carrying."

Kara fought off a yelp and immediately felt very sorry for the accountant in question.

"The upside is that she found herself pinned to the wall, in a headlock, when Agent Vasquez stepped in. She is quite dynamic."

"We've worked together a few times and she is maybe the best the DEO has to offer. Your former assistant chose well."

"She did."

"So is your casual attire your reason for being out here or were you needing fresh air?"

"A little of both. What brings you here?"

"We've taken Kara Danvers and James Olsen into protective custody and we need to do the same for you and Carter."

"I see," Cat closed the tablet that was sitting on the table, put the steno-pad next to it, laid her pen down, and stood. "You might need to but you won't be. I will not hide. Besides the DEO and I had an agreement that Carter's schedule wouldn't be upended."

"It's now more than a precaution, Ms. Grant."

"You've confirmed it’s A'Daire," Cat stated as fact. "Well, I'm not running to some depressing safe house or government installation."

"There isn't much of a choice. A mercenary, who can brainwash people, is running loose and it’s no secret you have the exclusive with the President before and after the speech on Sunday.”

"I would hope not. The running of all those ads wasn't cheap."

"This is as much to protect the President as it is to protect you."

Cat tried to stare her down. "As you said, Agent Vasquez is the best the DEO has, so I'm in good hands."

Supergirl needed the idea to come from Cat for this to work. Cat Grant didn’t like to be told what to do. So Supergirl tried to talk around it. "That might be true but the entire DEO protection detail has to be pulled with A’Daire on the loose. We can't risk them being enchanted by her because they are all assigned to assist with protection at the speech."

"So they gave me protection only to pull it."

"Not much choice, considering.”

"And what about you? I would think a Kryptonian would be exactly the kind of weapon they would want to have influence over and yet here you are flying around like any other Friday."

"I followed up with Superman after we last spoke. His recollection is that he made physical contact with A'Daire during the rescue but she didn't influence him, so we think our physiology is immune."

Cat got a surprising large smile on her face. "So is he coming to assist on Sunday?" The question was from the media mogul Cat Grant and not from a concerned citizen worried for people’s safety. 

"He will be available at a moments notice, if needed. Things in Metropolis have been bad as of late."

"Yes, I've heard. Lex Luthor is causing a great deal of trouble. It's good the people of Metropolis have a hero they can count on as much as we count on you, Supergirl."

"Thank you, Ms. Grant."

"You're welcome, Supergirl."

"May I ask what you were working on?

"Lois Lane, of all people, called me today and provided me with research she, apparently, also gave you about her father."

Wonders never cease. "She did?"

"Yes, I'm assuming you said something nice about me to motivate the gesture."

"I only mentioned you had told me of your run in with Whisper A'Daire and how maybe you thought she and Clark Kent could provide more background on A'Daire and Abbott."

"Well, obviously that sparked some uncharacteristic desire to share with me cause she sent over a very large file on General Lane instead. When you arrived I was just making notes about all I was reading."

"Based on what you know of his public persona, does anything standout?"

Cat moved back to the table and picked up her glass of water and took a sip before she spoke. "His political allies aren't exactly bi-partisan but he's also made a career being respected by those on both sides. The President, at one point, even had him shortlisted for Defense Secretary. The talk at that time was it would have been a popular choice in Washington."

"Any idea what happened?"

"The official word was he took himself off the list but in politics nothing is ever that simple. When I get the President alone on Sunday, I intend on asking her the real story."

"Do your instincts tell you he’s a suspect?"

"Before last year, I would have said no but with all the military tensions towards you and others like you, he could very well fit the profile of someone who believes in taking strong action against Metas." Cat offered, while politely describing murder.

Supergirl really didn’t want it to be Lucy and Lois’ father but having been on the receiving end of General Lane’s paranoia, she knew there was a reason Lois, and now Cat, were suspicious of him.

"And see this is why I can't be locked up for the next two days in some DEO timeshare. I need to be working this story."

"We don't have much choice, Ms. Grant. Not only could your life be in danger for assisting the DEO, a fact that is known by anyone with high enough clearance, but you could also be used as a weapon against the President. You will be too close to her on Sunday to risk you falling victim to A’Daire’s hypnosis before then."

"There is always another choice, Supergirl." A glimmer of something passed over Cat Grant's face. 

Supergirl was confident the idea that they were hoping the media mogul would suggest was about to be presented. "You need to be protected and we don’t have a way to do that unless we take you in."

“You can’t exactly be risking exposure either.”

Years working for her made rule one of Cat Grant pretty easy to figure out. All the best ideas had to come from Cat Grant.

\---

As Maggie hung up the phone, she walked back towards the kitchen area only to find Alex making something on the stovetop. 

"What did Oracle say?”

"Well, first of all Supergirl had called wanting immediate backdoor surveillance on all incoming and outgoing calls at the DEO."

Alex shook her head. "Frustrating we have to go this far outside to protect people."

"Considering the kind of agenda we are dealing with there doesn't seem much choice."

"Sadly, there doesn't. Doesn’t change the fact they are all like family to me and the fact some of them might be compromised…"

"Good news is after that gets set up, Oracle is going to try and cross reference Cadmus against General Lane and anyone within the DEO. Oracle suggested we spread the net beyond just him. That it might help."

"Or that some might be sympathizers…” Alex added, sadly. “I'll make sure J'onn is told. Breakfast is almost ready."

"You didn't have to do that."

"No, but I did," Alex said, as she folded over the omelet she had been making and then slid it onto a plate that was sitting at a place on the living room side of the island. "You’ve got to be hungry. One croissant isn’t enough for anyone.”

"I had a salad and a piece of pie at three am."

"It’s after ten. Eat."

Maggie picked up the fork and then sat on the barstool in front of the plate. Cutting into the omelet she could see thinly diced vegetables along with cheese. She took a bite. 

"Does it meet your approval?"

"It's good but you don’t cook?"

"I don't, really," Alex said, as she poured more of the egg and vegetable mixture onto the hot pan. "I have a couple things I manage well. They are my survival meals."

"Is that cinnamon, I'm tasting?"

"Secret ingredient. Gives it an extra little something."

"It works."

Alex moved towards the coffee machine, grabbed the fresh pot, and then leaned over to pour some in Maggie's mug. "I made more."

"Thanks."

"You were always a five cup person," Alex recalled, as she poured some for herself before placing the half full pot back into the coffee maker. 

"Still am."

Alex’s eyebrows went up and she smiled, playfully. "Which is why I made another pot."

For the next few minutes, Alex went back to cooking and Maggie ate in silence. After Alex's omelet was finished, she slid it onto a plate by her coffee mug, turned off the stove and put the hot pan up onto a cold burner. Standing where she was she then took a fork and began to eat her breakfast. 

Maggie was searching for something to talk about. "So about your dad, does the rest of your family know?"

"Yes. There was no way I could hold onto that secret."

"How did they take it?"

"My sister wanted to barrel in head first when she found out but I told her I had to handle it.”

"And your mom?"

"My mom is finding it difficult to allow herself to hope too hard."

"I can imagine. Did she ever move on from losing him?"

"No. Not sure if that makes things easier or harder," Alex said, her eyes going from Maggie to her plate. The comment filled with duel meaning. 

"And what about you?"

"Had to put everything on hold cause we went from one potentially global emergency to another but, after what you said, my instincts are telling me this Meta case might be sending me on a collision course towards Cadmus."

"Hopefully, Oracle will find something useful but, even if this isn't tied to Cadmus, I'm happy to call in whatever favors I’ve got to see what we can find out about your dad."

"Thanks, Maggie. Does this mean you don't want to have this ‘case be over so we don't see each other anymore’?" Alex enquired, softly, while using her fingers to make air quotes around Maggie’s previously spoken words.

The comment might have evoked a fight had it not been for how tired Maggie was and how gently Alex had asked. Instead, Maggie just shrugged, "I suppose not."

"What's been the hardest part of working Meta crimes?"

The shift in topic was jarring. Maggie took a sip from her coffee before answering. "When I get a perpetrator who has no idea what's come over them. How the gift just kind of rises up and lashes out."

"I love that you call it a gift." Alex smiled and then took a bite of her breakfast.

"No other way to describe it. It's why the ones that use it knowingly to cause harm piss me off so much."

"While the rest deserve our compassion?"

Maggie nodded, her thoughts drifting to those she's tried to help since taking the job. 

"You're right where you belong, you know that?"

"How so?"

Alex sipped from her coffee, her eyes on Maggie. "You're fair, smart, and don't have that cynicism that I've seen from some local law enforcement I've come across. There’s still a light. As hard as the job can be, promise me you won't lose that light."

Maggie felt like she was under one of Alex’s microscopes. "I'll do my best and thank you."

A shy smile appeared at the corner of Alex's lips. "You're welcome."


	16. Chapter 16

After a long afternoon digging through more intelligence from Oracle and with sandwiches not being what either of them wanted for dinner, Alex decided that heading to McConners would be a nice change of scenery. Since Alex's car was still near Maggie's apartment, they considered calling a service but when Alex mentioned her old helmet was in the closet they locked the apartment and headed out on Maggie's bike. 

Anxiety gripped Maggie the second they climbed on. Despite her jacket, she could feel Alex's arms wrapped tightly around her, their bodies pressed together. It was not unpleasant but certainly added tension to the situation. The ride to her neighborhood felt way longer than the ride to Alex's apartment earlier in the day. 

It was Friday night so the place was packed. Dhara was happy they had both returned but was kind enough not to make her enthusiasm obvious. While they waited for the table they each had one drink. They passed the time making casual conversation with the bartender, a rather enthusiastic young woman, who Maggie always over tipped because she was paying her way through college while raising her two younger siblings. 

Sooner than they probably deserved it, they were given the booth in the back. Maggie might have felt bad for grabbing the table ahead of other people if she wasn't so hungry. After studying the menu, Alex had ordered a different burger than their previous visit while Maggie had decided on chicken. Maggie was going to order the same Indian dish from the other night but Alex had teased her about it since the menu was so diverse. Using the same tactic against Alex regarding her choice didn’t work on her since the burger she had was completely different. The gentle teasing had a comfortable ease to it.

The dinner conversation was enjoyable and unlike previous visits there wasn't the arguing or passive aggressiveness. There had even been a nice amount of laughter. 

The one truth bomb was Alex confessing she thought her sister, who worked for Cat Grant, was maybe the reporter assigned to the Intergang article. She hadn't heard from Kara all day and since the plan was to take the CatCo employees assigned to the President’s visit into protective custody, Alex surmised Kara was likely among them. 

Maggie had only met Kara the one time but was surprised to hear that the quiet and shy sister Alex always described had been serving as Cat Grant's assistant before moving into a junior reporter slot. She supposed that someone calm might offset the reputation Cat Grant had for being tough as nails. Maggie also supposed that was why it had been so easy for the DEO to feed details to CatCo without exposing too much of Maggie's casework. They had what amounted to a person inside CatCo Media even if Kara Danvers didn't know it. 

When they had finished their meal they tried to call it a night but Terry had insisted they each have a slice of apple pie for dessert. Alex tried to say no but Maggie had gently kicked her under the table. She later explained one never says no to the apple pie and by the time both of their plates were empty it was obvious why. 

Being close to her apartment, Maggie wasn't sure why neither of them had brought up taking Alex to her car after they were finished eating. Well, she had a pretty good reason why but she didn't want to assume anything. Instead, they headed back to Alex's place on the bike. This time the familiar feeling of Alex pressed against her back was both incredible and frustrating. Maggie's mind wandered to more intimate places. The first time the ride took too long and on the ride home it was over too quickly. 

"Why don't you come up?" Alex said as she removed her helmet. "Have a beer. Let's see if anything new has turned up."

"Your WIFI is probably better encrypted than what I have at home," Maggie said, mentally kicking herself for such a lame, overly professional, excuse. 

"Since Vasquez installed it, that’s a safe bet. It would take a high level hacker to get into what I have upstairs."

"So Oracle," Maggie smirked. 

"Since Oracle already got into the DEO and Vasquez upgraded that system as well..."

Maggie interrupted with a small laugh. "Probably a good idea to never put the two of them in the same room?"

"They would either take each other out or take over the world."

"Maybe a little of both."

Getting to the double security doors in the lobby of her building, Alex entered a code and the door released. 

"You know for a secure system it's not very secure,” Maggie offered. “I got upstairs today with no effort."

"I meant to ask how you got in," Alex said as she held the second door open for Maggie. 

"You have very friendly neighbors."

"Let's see,” Alex contemplated. “The seventy something Italian guy who walks around in his slippers and bathrobe when he goes out to get his mail?"

"Nope. The upwardly mobile thirty something business suit who is fond of music on his morning commute."

Alex reached the elevator and triggered for it to come to the lobby. "We've got about a half dozen tenants who don't seem to understand the concept of building security."

"Let me guess. They're all male?"

"Yep," Alex confirmed.

"Many of the more gruesome cases I had in Gotham started with someone being let into a building," Maggie explained, as she waited for the elevator door to open and then walked inside. 

Alex followed. "Generosity shouldn't veto common sense."

"These days there is a lot that vetoes common sense."

Alex nodded.

Reaching the floor and eventually arriving at the apartment, Alex unlocked the door and then moved to the alarm system to reset it for the 'home' mode. Maggie placed their helmets on the island and removed her coat. 

Alex then took her jacket off and moved to the kitchen. "Beer?"

"Whatever you're having is fine."

Instead of going to the fridge, Alex pulled up a half full bottle of whiskey from a small assortment of alcohol that was on the counter next to it, Alex shrugged. "This work?"

"That works."

"Rocks?"

"Please."

Alex set about grabbing glassware and ice. "So I'm assuming, from what you said, that you know Oracle, well, know who Oracle is, I mean."

Maggie leaned on the island and nodded.

"I won't ask you to tell me any real details but have you known each other long?"

"A source for a while and then circumstances, being what they were, I learned more. One of the few people in this world I trust one hundred percent."

Alex moved from the kitchen to the other side of the island and handed over the drink. "Well, the help has been greatly appreciated. Not sure we would be this far along without the assist. Oracle qualifies as one of the good guys."

"The best." Taking a sip, Maggie moved to the sofa. "You know, I like seeing the photos out."

"What?"

"The photos, of your family. I'm happy for you."

"That was a hard step," Alex confessed, as she followed and took a seat.

"Did you do it before or after you learned your father was alive?"

"Before. The quick version is my father saved J'onn's life and when I heard the story of his bravery I couldn't hide from my grief any longer. I needed to move on. Honor him. Celebrate his life. My sister helped me pick out what's up there."

"It's obvious from our chat at dinner that you two remain close." Maggie said, and then took another sip, letting the brown liquid warm her insides. 

"We've been through a lot as a family but after I got my life in order I think I was able to relax a little and let her in more. She's my best friend."

"I'm glad things are better."

"So am I," Alex acknowledged as she took a drink. "Thanks for agreeing to the two of us taking the bike to dinner. I enjoyed myself."

"So did I," Maggie offered as she tried to keep her eyes focused on anything but Alex's lips. "Do you still ride?"

"Mostly for work but I've been known to take a DEO bike out to clear my head. It helps almost as much as surfing does but at least with the cycles I can go out at night.”

"True."

"Actually, I've been out a couple times this week,” Alex hesitantly confessed and then took yet another sip from her glass. 

"A lot on your mind?" Maggie smiled, knowing it was a question she already had the answer to but asked anyway. "You aren't alone there."

"Stay," Alex said, softly.

"What?"

Alex put her drink down and then looked at Maggie pointedly. "I said, stay."

Despite the earlier, silent, assumption, Maggie felt herself getting cold feet. “Alex?" 

"J'onn did say we should stick together." The smile on Alex's face managed to be innocent and wicked at the same time. 

"I don't think that's what he meant."

"I know it's not but I don't care what he meant."

"This is insane." Yep, Maggie was getting cold feet. Putting her drink down, she stood and then headed to look out the balcony door that Supergirl and J'onn had flown out of earlier in the day. She needed to put some distance between herself and Alex. 

"Maybe it is."

Maggie kept her eyes on the city streets that surrounded Alex's building. It was a cute neighborhood that was half new construction and half old school brick walk-ups. She wasn’t much for architecture but in a moment like this one she needed something else to focus on. The room was silent for a couple of minutes as she tried to compose her thoughts. "This is us."

"Yes, it is." Alex responded, as Maggie felt the presence of the other woman directly behind where she stood. 

"This isn't helping."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to push, Maggie. I really don't."

"Being around you again, especially after last night..."

"Is difficult." Alex interjected, her tone soft. She placed her hands on Maggie's shoulders. 

"I was thinking more like impossible," Maggie confessed. She wanted to say more but instead fell silent, relaxing into the sudden, slow, and deep kneading of her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, her body reacted to the massaging and her resolve fell away. Turning on her heels, Maggie captured Alex's mouth with hers.

The momentum of the move seemed to catch Alex off guard and drove them back three steps as Maggie grabbed Alex's head and Alex put her arms around Maggie's waist. Their tongues pushed past dry lips as their bodies drew closer together. Alex let out a soft moan, which drove Maggie to nip at her bottom lip. It tasted of the whiskey she had been drinking. 

The action resulted in Alex pulling back from the kiss. Maggie dropped her hands to her side as they locked eyes. The contact was startling. Maggie blinked first. Smiling, perhaps at the win, Alex leaned down and began leaving eager kisses along the side of Maggie's neck while her tongue swirled over the soft skin. As Alex got to Maggie's ear, she leaned in closer. 

Maggie shivered and let out a charged sigh. 

Alex's voice was low as she whispered. "Some things haven't changed." 

Maggie's hands shot back up to Alex, drawing her face away from where it was and recapturing her lips. Alex wasted no time matching the need she was being shown. Alex's mouth was as eager as Maggie's, her hands moving down to rest in the back waistband of Maggie's jeans. 

Taking another few steps, their momentum was halted by the back of the sofa. It jolted the pair but Maggie ignored the near toppling and kept exploring Alex’s mouth with her lips and tongue. 

Alex was suddenly having none of it. She slowly pushed Maggie away. At first, the move was confusing, after all her eyes were alive with desire, and then the intent was clear. Alex was making sure Maggie got a good look at her. Ever so gently, Alex pushed Maggie back a little further and then moved in the direction of the bed. 

Watching Alex confidently walk away in silence was an enormous turn on. The previous night had been about resentment, sadness, unfinished business and lust. Now, here at Alex's apartment, there was a totally new set of emotions in play. Well, not entirely new. 

Maggie could have grabbed her jacket and her helmet, and despite instructions to stay put, gotten on her bike and driven far away. Sure there was the matter of the alarm going off but so what. It would probably be the less reckless choice but Maggie Sawyer wanted to be reckless. 

After taking one last drink of whiskey, she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and followed where Alex Danvers was leading her. Moving to the edge of the platform, Maggie stopped and watched Alex turn down the bed. 

Alex looked up and smiled. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come over here and kiss me?"

\- - - 

Cat Grant hadn't exactly been honest with Supergirl during their discussion about protective custody and how she didn't want to upset Carter's routine. It seemed her son had left that morning to enjoy the start of a two-week trip with his father. Since that news had not come up the night before, Supergirl wondered if it had been unplanned until their chat. 

She was glad the older woman had done it. Keeping Carter as far away from things made her feel better as well. He was a special kid and didn’t deserve to have to deal what events might do to his need for consistency. 

At Cat’s Penthouse, the media mogul started dinner as they continued to talk more about Carter and where he was hoping to spend his holidays. Cat had vowed to find any excuse to not spend them with her mother and confessed that Carter had offered to help her come up with a good excuse to stay in the city this year. Having met Cat's mother, Supergirl could understand the aversion to spending the holidays with her and her never-ending criticisms. The woman was cold and judgmental and it was a testament to Cat that she was the exact opposite kind of parent to her son. 

The meal they shared had been exquisite. Before clearing out, the DEO agent who was assigned to protect Cat while at her home had left behind food. Apparently, she hadn't been told of Carter's custody arrangement either so Supergirl had gotten to enjoy Carter's meal. 

In her time working with the DEO, Supergirl learned that it was important for agents to have a varied skill set, for instance Vasquez could crack any code or firewall on the planet, and after the first bite it was clear the agent assigned to Cat's detail had stepped into the role of Chef very well. Her time studying at the Cordon Bleu and the Culinary Institute, before joining the DEO, had been very well spent. 

"You know I offered her double her current salary to ditch the DEO and come work for me full time," Cat said as she handed over a glass of wine and then shut the dishwasher. 

Normally, Supergirl wouldn't have accepted the drink but Cat had insisted and so she took the glass, had a small sip, and then complemented her host. 

"Another something delicious your agent friend brought into the house. After my first glass of this I sent her out the next day to restock my wine room with the best of the best."

"Room?"

"Some women love shoes. I love a perfect glass of wine. I also love shoes. So they both have rooms. Just one is temperature controlled,” Cat explained as she moved from the kitchen, through the living room, and to the balcony.

The quirks of the ultra wealthy were things Supergirl wasn't sure she would ever understand. Taking another sip, she followed Cat outside. 

As the door to the balcony closed, Cat took a very long look at Supergirl, which felt like being under a microscope. 

"What? Do I have something in my teeth?"

"If you are going to be here the entire weekend watching like a guard dog, the least you can do is be comfortable. I've got sweats that should fit you in my room."

"I'm comfortable in this," Supergirl said, pointing at her suit and cape. 

Cat put her drink down on a side table. "I'm sure it serves a purpose, aerodynamic and all. It also sells the brand but it isn't exactly loungewear. I'll be right back."

"Really, Ms. Grant, I'm okay."

"Stop arguing, Kara. I'm getting you some comfortable clothes," Cat said, marching herself back into the Penthouse and out of sight. 

Kara was frozen, her jaw open. Had that been a slip of the tongue or did this mean she was going to spend the entire evening once again arguing with Cat over how she wasn't Kara Danvers, when she was, in fact, Kara Danvers? Kara downed her entire glass of wine and waited for Cat to return. 

Five minutes later, Cat reappeared with a pair of grey sweat pants and a CatCo Media t-shirt, like the ones that had been given as part of a holiday gift bag the previous Christmas. "Here. You'll be more comfortable."

Supergirl stood hesitantly, crossed to Cat, and then reached over to take the clothing. "Thank you."

"Don't pout, Kara, it is unbecoming."

Supergirl raised her eyebrows trying to send the message that her boss was very wrong. "Ms. Grant."

"I'm an investigative journalist first and foremost and you, Supergirl, are Kara Danvers."

"We've been over this. I'm not your assistant. Heck, you saw both of us, in your office, just last night."

Cat smirked at the use of heck. "We live in a world where Metas can walk through walls, manipulate electricity, and run at incredibly fast speeds. We now have alien races living on earth that have powers that defy logic. I'm pretty certain there must be some out there that can change forms like, for instance, a certain DEO director that the Internet is very curious about thanks to grainy cellphone footage of a rather bloody battle in the streets last year with a very altered Supergirl. I've watched him transform into a towering green alien so I imagine he could handle masquerading as a millennial with Superpowers."

"Ms. Grant," Supergirl repeated and had to stop herself from reaching to push up glasses that weren't on her face. 

"Kara, I’ve known for certain since the events surrounding Myriad."

Supergirl forced herself not to speak.

Cat went into reporter mode while picking up her glass. "Let's see, for starters, that Eliza woman's concern was positively parental. I presume she's your foster mother since she hovered around you as I do with Carter. And from the way she and the shorthaired agent interacted, I assume, she is also related somehow. Add that to Maxwell Lord calling said shorthaired agent, Danvers and I have all the evidence I need. A sister, perhaps?

"Ms. Grant, please."

"Please, what, Kara?"

"Please just forget what you think you know." The request was stern but in no way threatening.

"I can't. So please stop with the barrage of denials. You are just going to embarrass yourself even more than you already have. Now go put on those clothes. I refuse to have this discussion with you in that."

Kara cast her eyes down to the clothing in her hands and admitted defeat. She nodded and moved into the Penthouse to change.

\- - -

Naked but wrapped in a giant quilt that they had pulled from the foot of the bed, the pair laid there tangled together. Maggie was making lazy circles over Alex's bare arm while her head rested on the other woman’s chest. 

Alex shivered at the touch and Maggie held on a little tighter. "You cold?"

"Not cold."

Maggie let out a soft laugh and Alex responded by ghosting her fingers over the back of Maggie's arm. 

"I need you to know that I didn't come over last night intending what happened but I'm glad it did. Right now, I'm even happier I left my car near your place this morning.” Alex confessed with a small laugh.

"Don't be too smug, Danvers, its unbecoming." 

There was a comfortable silence that followed the teasing and all Maggie could hear was the beating of Alex’s heart.

"Hey, can we talk?" Alex’s tone suddenly turned serious.

Maggie wanted to say no and just stay like this all comfy and blissful but she knew they had to address stuff. "Sure."

Alex wiggled herself free from under Maggie and turned on her side so they were facing one another. "My biggest regret has always been what I did. I blew up the happiest I've ever been."

"Alex..."

"Maggie, stop talking for a second. We have been saying the wrong things for days now. I've been saying the wrong things. Sure, when I first heard it was you I panicked. Then I started to wonder..." 

"I would be lying if I said I didn't feel just as conflicted. But you can't blame me for being protective."

"I don't." 

Maggie hadn't expected such a complete and simple answer as Alex continued on. 

"Can you blame me for being so reserved? You could have been so cruel and I would have deserved it."

The fear in Alex’s tone, in her eyes, made Maggie wish she could have been more compassionate when they first saw each other again after so much time. 

"Even after everything, I could never."

A soft smile came to Alex’s lips. "Last night, waking up to see you in your kitchen watching me sleep, I expected you to throw me out and never want to speak to me again."

"Despite my words, I think we both know much of what I said was the fear. Old habits die hard."

"For both of us." Alex smiled as her hand drew along Maggie's arm and landed on her bare hip. "I want you Maggie and you scare the crap out of me."

"Proving my point."

"I'm afraid," Alex said and then stopped a second to gain her footing. 

Maggie took a breath as well and made sure to keep her voice soft. "What?" 

"I'm afraid that if I let you walk away again that I'll never forgive myself. Look, if this isn't what you want, if I'm not what you want, if you're still not over that woman you left behind in Gotham, or you need to be single right now, I'll understand but if fear is the only thing stopping you from exploring this with me than be afraid with me."

Alex had ripped the Band-Aid off and revealed everything that had been swimming in Maggie’s mind since the night before. "What's stopping us from making the same damn mistakes?"

"Nothing," Alex said, honestly. "But at least this time we know what those are. I refuse to be the same coward who found you in San Francisco but didn't have the guts to come talk to you."

"San Francisco?"

"I drove up," Alex confessed. 

"To San Francisco?"

"Yes, a few weeks after your graduation. I knew where you were working so I got in the car and came up. I was going to drop in, try and explain myself, try and make it better. Maybe try and fix things. Start over. Instead, I sat outside next to that giant fountain, in front of your building, and I drank coffee. Just as I was about to skip it and head back to school you came flying out of those glass doors. You were in a suit, it was blue, and it fit you perfectly, and you seemed to be yelling at someone on your phone but you had a smile on your face. That was the moment I knew I had to leave because I had forgotten what that smile looked like. Things were so bad at the end that you hardly smiled and that was my fault."

“Oh.” Maggie wasn’t sure what to say. She knew she hadn't seen Alex that day and yet the memory of such an afternoon seemed to be prickling at the back of her mind. She actually thought she knew the exact conversation she was having at the time.

"Then there was that time in Gotham, although that was an accident."

"Gotham?"

"It was a little over a year later and my first time in the field with the DEO. I was on a surveillance detail and you walked right into my line of sight. When I saw you my heart stopped. You had a beautiful, very well dressed brunette on your arm. You held the door for her at a bistro downtown and she kissed you on the cheek as she passed you to go inside. You were playful with one another. You seemed happy."

The news was a lot for Maggie to process. "I can't believe it." 

That early into her time in Gotham could only have been one person and it wasn't Kate. It had been passionate and destined for failure from the start but Maggie had at least enjoyed herself while it lasted. 

"Believe it,” Alex continued. “That had been a terrible start to what became a terrible day."

The far off look in Alex’s eyes telegraphed the kind of thing Maggie, as a cop, was very familiar with. "How did the day end?"

"The person we were following never showed up where we had been told he would. Instead, in an attempt to flee town, he ended up killing three people, including a mother and her four year old son, during a high speed chase later that day."

"I'm sorry."

"There have been plenty of bad days but, I'm happy to say, the good ones have out numbered the bad. Like today, today was a good day."

If they were putting it all out there, Maggie was willing to go along. "When you saw me in that room at the DEO, why were you so cold?"

"I was being professional"

If they were going to have confession time, Maggie wanted them to be going all in. "Try again."

"I knew you were going to be on the other side of that door and when it opened, even knowing that, the sight of you took my breath away. My only choice was to be overly professional.”

"I worry you won't be able to handle this, especially after how quickly you tried to run out of my place yesterday when you saw Supergirl was there."

As she took in what Maggie was saying, Alex fell silent for a moment before offering an explanation. "She and I are co-workers. What I had to say was personal.”

"Stuff that was so personal you didn’t want her to know about it?" Maggie asked, not intending to be confrontational, merely needing Alex to be honest with her and herself.

"Yes. No. I mean no, but in that moment, yes. We hadn't talked yet."

"Her opinion matters to you, though."

"Yes." Alex said, her eyes as honest as her tone.

"Today, watching the short hand you have with one another, I feel like there’s something I'm missing."

"It's complicated,” Alex said, brushing aside the comment.

"Wait a minute?" Maggie felt foolish she hadn't seen it before now. She sat up so she could see Alex's face better. Her own eyes grew big. "Is she an ex?"

The comment resulted in Alex instantly slapping Maggie on the backside. "No. It's nothing like that. I admire her. We've been working together since she revealed herself to the world. Supergirl is as close as I've had to a partner at the DEO and I respect her."

"There is a lot to respect but she's also a beautiful woman,” Maggie challenged.

"She is." Alex said, in a tone that seemed to have a confusing dash of pride in it. 

A very unique ring tone interrupted the moment, from somewhere on floor of the bedroom. 

Maggie shook her head. "That's not mine."

"It's mine."

"Do you need to get it?"

"No,” Alex said, shaking her head. “It's my sister. That is her 'I'm having a crazy day and I need to gab about it with my big sister’ ringtone. If it were her ‘the sky is falling and I lost a limb' one that would be another story.”

"She has two?"

"The 'lost a limb' one is her work phone. She's not supposed to use it for personal calls so we have a thing that if she calls me on that one I pick up no matter what." Alex explained, as the phone on the floor stopped ringing. 

"Weren't you worried earlier that she was swept up into the CatCo protection?"

"If there was a problem she would call on the other phone."

It made sense, so Maggie let it go. "What is it like for her with you having such a dangerous job?"

"When she found out, she was concerned but warmed up to the idea pretty quickly."

"Did she not always know?"

"No."

"But obviously she knows now."

Alex nodded. "I got permission from J'onn to tell her."

"Because of the news about your dad?"

Alex ignored the question and instead reached up and began stroking Maggie's bare arm. She then smiled, sat up, and kissed her. “I’m not really wanting to think about Kara right now.”

"You sure you don't want to call her back?"

Alex lifted Maggie's chin with her other hand and kissed her longer. "I'm far too comfortable to move."

Shifting again, Maggie brought her leg over and covered Alex with the length of her body and kissed her back, slow, and longingly. "Good, so am I."

After all, they had all night to talk. 

\---

"Alex, it's me. Call me back. I'm following J'onn's orders and keeping an eye on Cat but she knows." Kara whispered into the phone, panicked. "Like she 'Knows' knows and this time I'm not convincing her otherwise. So call me."

Hanging up the phone and tucking it into the pocket of the pants Cat had loaned her, Kara then took her suit and folded it neatly. With nowhere else to leave it, she placed it on the dresser in the guest bedroom, grateful Carter wasn't at home to witness whatever was about to happen.

Taking a second to steady herself, Kara made her way back to the balcony with all the Supergirl confidence she could muster under the circumstances but minus the cape. 

"That is much better," Cat said, looking up from her wine glass the moment the door to the balcony opened. "I saw you finished yours so I took the liberty of refilling it although I suppose the bonus part of drinking a wonderful glass of wine is lost on you considering your super metabolism."

"It can have an effect although it would take probably ten times the amount."

"Ten times the amount it would take me or humans in general," Cat asked, punctuating her words with a detachment and arrogance she seldom, if ever, used towards Kara.

"Humans." The statement was Kara’s first real admission that she was Supergirl. 

"We won't test that theory with how much this costs per bottle. Enjoy."

Kara sat, picked up the glass, and waited for the hammer to fall. As she drank, she concentrated on the dark red liquid in an attempt to ignore the tension between she and her boss. 

Wine was always a curious experience for Kara because of her powers and the varied flavors she could therefore make out when drinking it. Sometimes there was a hint of blackberry, or coffee, which was her favorite, or black pepper but every glass was very different. Alex had once explained to her there were careers for people with such skills and that maybe with her Kryptonian palate she should consider it as a profession. They had gotten a good laugh about that idea at the time.

Thankfully, the wine she was drinking was very complex so it gave her something to concentrate on in the silence. Cat just sat there across from her twirling the wine in the glass and then sipping it. 

The self conscious part of Kara wanted to break the silence while the hero was more than willing to play Cat's game, all night if necessary. She knew the older woman's emotions were stirring more than her wine but she remained silent until both their slowly consumed glasses were well past empty. 

While reaching for the bottle to re-pour, it was Cat who finally spoke. "You know I'm a very busy woman. Sitting here in silence with you staring up at the sky might be relaxing for you but it's irritating me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Where do I begin, Kara?" Cat asked as she put the now empty bottle on the table and stared daggers at her former assistant. "How about we start with the fact that in the midst of all that is going on, you not only continued to keep me in the dark but actually took the time to carry out another attempt to reinforce your lie?"

"The DEO felt..."

"Do not give me some 'duty to country' mumbo jumbo. You are Supergirl, not some agent collecting a paycheck and a first rate pension."

"Ms. Grant, you have to understand..."

"Enlighten me, Supergirl," Cat interrupted, making sure to punctuate her name with a mix of condescension and ire. "What do I have to understand?"

"You're angry."

"Yes, I'm angry. I've been lied to and for the last week been expected to do the DEO's work for them all the why you doubled down on the lie."

"The intention wasn't to make you feel betrayed."

"How could I not feel that way? Last night, sitting here, you sharing your history but all the while you couldn't share your biggest truth."

"It's dangerous."

"Screw that.” Cat offered, pointedly. “Information is power. As powerful as you are and yet you handcuffed me by not giving me all the information."

Kara had seen Cat Grant upset under many circumstances but she had never witnessed her this angry. 

"My intention was not to hurt you. I simply didn't want to put you at risk. And yes, selfishly, I didn't want to face losing the one thing in my life that feels normal."

"So the hero can be selfish," Cat said, drinking from her glass. 

"Yes, she can," Kara spat back. 

"Not as altruist as she would like people to think."

"I sacrifice every day, Cat. Don't pretend you haven't noticed, especially since you’ve had me all figured out but have said nothing for months.”

Cat stood from her seat and stumbled just a little as she stalked over towards the edge of the balcony. She then turned back, her voice loud and her eyes very angry. "Everyone makes sacrifices, Kara. Just because you are Kryptonian doesn't make you unique in that regard.” 

It was clear to Kara that she wasn’t going to get very far explaining things because all Cat wanted to do was lash out. This was a topic best tabled until the morning. Perhaps after a good night sleep and with less wine flowing it would be easier to explain. "You know what, you can yell at me more tomorrow but right now it's clear you've reached that glass of wine that turns you from levelheaded to hotheaded and I'm too tired to be screamed at anymore tonight. I'll be in the guest room if need me."

When Kara reached the guest room, she closed the door, took a very deep breath, and turned down the bed. She never really considered herself that susceptible to anger. It was one of the reasons why the Red Kryptonite experience had been so unpleasant. Somehow though, Cat Grant had tapped into something that evoked some of those previously unexplored emotions. It was better for both of them that she was calling it a night.

After crawling into bed she grew curious as to what Cat was doing. Using her X-ray vision she watched as Cat, who had been looking out over the city, turned to move back to the chair and was surprised to see, what appeared to be, her brushing a tear from her cheek before lifting her wine glass back to her lips, and finishing what remained in the glass. Cat then placed the empty glass back on the table, leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

About forty minutes later, Kara finally had calmed down enough to feel like she could sleep. Before letting her eyes close she glanced back through the walls to make sure Cat had come inside and gone to bed. She instead saw that the older woman was still outside in the chair and, from the way her chest was moving, it looked as if she was asleep. 

It was cool out and dealing with a betrayed Cat Grant was bad enough. She didn’t need her sick as well. Kara removed the comforter from the bed she was sleeping in, quietly moved through the penthouse and went outside. She placed the comforter over her sleeping boss, who didn't budge. 

There was going to be a lot to deal with in the morning but right now a good night's sleep was probably best for everyone. 

\- - - 

Alex was sound asleep in the bed next to Maggie. Her gentle breathing grounding Maggie to the reality of what was happening. She couldn't lie to herself and pretend she didn't want to give this a try but she also couldn't pretend that things couldn't go bad at any moment but there was no middle ground.

Sure, Maggie had her fair share of flings over the years but there was no way this could ever go down that path. There was no way to be casual with Alex Danvers. With Alex it would have to be all in or all out for both of them and she wasn't sure which scared her more.

There was also still the matter of the case they were working. There was still the matter of being realistic. Somehow though all Maggie wanted to do was ignore caution and expectations and the job and simply go with it. The shorthand they once had with one another, even with the fighting and the pushing of each other's buttons, was still there. It was fun and passionate. 

Perhaps it was crazy to think it was possible, but Maggie wanted to believe that the time was right for them but in order for things to have a shot Maggie feared they needed to slow down. There was too much going on and she and Kate hadn't split that long ago. Christ, her thoughts were jumbling in ways that weren’t helping in the least but everything also felt safe and warm. 

Yawning, Maggie closed her eyes and after a minute or two she, without thinking, rolled over on her side, draped her arm over Alex. Her heart approved and her head was coming around to the idea.


	17. Chapter 17

The final briefing with secret service had been drama free. Despite how smooth things went that didn’t mean that Maggie wasn’t on edge. While introductions were made and assignment’s given she wondered whether each and every person present would have her back if she needed it. The news that someone capable of brainwashing could be influencing things added a layer of caution that the Detective had never had to tap into before. She had been in some tight spots but never ones with so much at stake or this unsettling. 

Following the briefing, J’onn, presenting as Director Henshaw, had asked Maggie and Alex to walk back with him in the direction of the DEO's downtown facility. The paranoia followed Maggie as they went. Was it possible someone could be listening in to what was being said? The only things being discussed were vague references to the following days events. Hank also explained that Supergirl sent her regards, having missed the briefing. Nothing could be learned but how exposed were they moving through the crowded downtown streets?

Were they being watched and did that mean that someone knew the nature of the sleep over she had at Alex’s apartment the night before? Would they try to use that information to their favor? Was A'Daire around the corner ready to act the moment one of them was alone? 

Perhaps it was the added pressure of protecting a President she so admired in the midst of this blossoming 'something' she and Alex were trying to figure out, but Maggie was pretty certain she was going to feel safer off the streets. She was also pretty certain she wasn't going to sleep until the speech was over and the President was on her way back to Washington. 

“Stay the course,” J’onn had said to them as they reached where Maggie had parked her motorcycle in the DEO garage. As they began to place their helmets on, J'onn handed Alex a note. Alex placed the note in the pocket of her jeans, nodded at her boss, and they climbed on the cycle and they drove away.

Before heading back to the apartment they made a stop at McConners to get some food for later. There was no way either of them wanted to tempt fate by stepping outside later that evening. 

When they got back to the apartment, Alex made sure the security system had been undisturbed while Maggie unpacked the bag of food and placed everything in the fridge. She did an internalized happy dance when on the top of the take out was not slices of apple pie but an entire pie with a note from Dhara. 

"A treat to brighten the day. You are both working too hard."

Maggie smiled at the sentiment because she suspected it would have said something else had Dhara been the type to interfere. It was nice of her to once again leave the subtext of her kindness unsaid.

Pulling out two of the sandwiches from the day before, Maggie grabbed plates and two bottles of sparkling water and dropped them on the center island. When Alex was finished with the security system she joined Maggie for lunch. 

"So what does J'onn's note say?" Maggie asked, cracking open her bottle of water. 

Alex pulled it from her pocket, opened it and read the note out loud. "Supergirl is keeping Cat Grant safe until the event. Mr. Schoot and Mr. Olsen are secure and working on a way to combat any thrall. I spoke with the President and she alone is aware of recent developments. I made sure she understood our concerns. Stay together. I'll call if Mr. Schoot comes up with a solution to our problem."

"No news is good news, I guess."

Alex rose from her stool, went to the cupboard and pulled out a ceramic bowl and a lighter from her ‘catch all’ drawer. Dropping the paper in the bowl she torched the note. "We can't be too careful." 

"Looks to me like you're showing off, Danvers."

Alex smiled. 

"I forgot to ask, what did your sister want?"

Alex kept her eyes down at the note as it burned. “Was just letting me know she would be unavailable for the next couple of days due to some concerns about the President's speech tomorrow."

"So I guess that means she is covering the speech for CatCo?"

"She didn’t tell me as much but it’s clear she is,” Alex explained moving the bowl into the sink to let it burn itself out. “Despite my security clearance and her knowing what it is I do, she’s great about not stepping on the top secret stuff."

As hard as she tried to stop it, Maggie yawned. "At least you know she's safe."

“Yeah,” Alex said, as she unsuccessfully fought off a yawn to go with Maggie’s. 

“We are quite the pair.”

Alex laughed. “Not like we got much sleep last night.”

“With what tomorrow might hold not thinking I’ll sleep tonight. I’m going to be wired.”

“Perhaps a nap is in order.”

Flirting was a bad idea but Maggie followed the flow of the gentle banter they had been sharing. “You trying to get me back in your bed, Danvers?”

“Yes, but in this case, to sleep,” Alex explained as she took a sip from her water. “If J’onn or Oracle have anything new we can be back on the case at a moments notice but it’s important we are both sharp tomorrow.” 

Alex was right. There was no way Maggie could be at her best with what little sleep she had gotten the night before. A nap sounded like a good plan. “As long as you don’t hog all the covers.”

\---

Kara had been avoiding coming out of the guest room. The idea of going round two with Cat Grant was in no way appealing but as the smell of coffee grew stronger, which highlighted her need for food, she knew it was time to face the music. 

Normally, she could have held out but in the middle of the night she flew home and grabbed some of her own clothes. On route to her apartment she ended up breaking up two muggings and a break-in and on the way back she did a similar round of ‘heroing’. This had proved complicated while traveling a small suitcase. The upside to having it was she had been able to use the hard-sided case to fling at a fleeing criminal to stop him from escaping during one of the run-ins. The local NCPD officials who arrived at the scenes were nice enough not to comment as she flew off carrying it each time. 

When she retuned to the penthouse, Kara was relieved to see that Cat had eventually gone to bed. The quilt had been neatly folded on the chair outside and so she brought it in and placed it back on the bed in the guestroom. Looking at it now, she took a deep breath. 

She had showered and changed back into her own clothes and considered putting her glasses on. Moving to the suitcase, which was sitting on the floor, Kara picked them up and held them in her hand. It was rather remarkable that these stopped people from seeing the real her for so long. 

Moving them up to her face, Kara then stopped and changed her mind. Putting the glasses back down she moved to the door of the guest room. There was really no point in wearing them. Cat knew it was her disguise and Kara worried that putting them on would only upset the older woman.  
_ _ _

They had finished lunch and loaded the dishwasher. Alex had loaned Maggie a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Going into the bathroom to change felt like a strange exercise in modesty. They had seen each other naked many times although Maggie supposed this was the best way to avoid turning the nap into something else. 

When she left the bathroom, the apartment was mostly dark. You couldn’t tell it was the middle of the day. The only light was a small lamp on the nightstand on Alex’s side of the bed. She looked very comfy. 

"Thanks for the loan.”

"You're welcome."

"Impressive blackout curtains," Maggie said as she pulled the sheet on her side of the bed aside and climbed in. 

"Something special that I had the DEO techs whip up for me. They also block out all outside noise. Sleep is something we have to grab when we can so they’re a big help. After they installed them I think every active agent put requests in."

Maggie pulled the sheet up and adjusted the pillows behind her head. "I might ask for some as my thank you when all of this is over."

"We can manage that," Alex agreed as she turned the light off. 

“Thanks.”

“It’s the least we can do. Your insistence on getting justice has likely saved many lives.”

“I was just doing my job.”

“You’re a great cop, Maggie.”

“Thanks, Alex.”

The room went silent and the pair of them got comfortable in bed. The mattress was just the right amount of softness thanks to some kind of foam topper. Under different circumstances the nearness of Alex next to her in bed would have made sleep impossible but Maggie was past the point of exhaustion. Turning over onto her side she pulled her arm under the pillows and closed her eyes. Just as her breathing began to get shallow and sleep started to come she felt comforting warmth against her back and an arm drape across her stomach. Taking one deep breath she relaxed into the hold Alex Danvers had on her and let sleep come.

_ _ _

“Coffee is in the kitchen,” Cat Grant said, without looking up from her tablet. 

“Thank you,” Kara said as she moved through the living space and towards caffeine. 

Sitting on the counter next to the high-end coffee machine was a single mug, which featured Kara’s family crest. ‘Super’ branded merchandise was all the rage. Her cousin had allowed the items to be made but only if every last dollar of profit went to worldwide charities that fed the hungry. 

She imagined the mug belonged to Carter but she knew the fact it was sitting out was a not so subtle dig at her from Cat. After making herself a cup, and gobbling down three Danish from a box on the table, Kara took a sip and then went back into the living room. “Nice mug,” she commented, keeping a smile on her face.

Cat’s head stayed in whatever she was reading. “It’s Carter’s.”

“I assumed.”

“Seemed appropriate.”

“And passive aggressive,” Kara offered, her voice void of the shy assistant Cat knew. “Which is very unlike you.”

Her boss finally looked up. “A fair assessment. I see from your attire you flew home.”

“If you were going to continue to insist I not wear the suit, I preferred being comfortable.”

“So your choice of synthetic fabrics is voluntary?”

“Yes,” Kara answered.

“I suppose your upbringing,” Cat flippantly remarked, and then looked back down at the tablet. 

The dig was about as privileged as she had ever heard Cat. Kara wasn’t impressed. “One that I’m fiercely proud of.”

The tablet was placed down on the sofa and Cat turned her attention back to Kara. “Was I right about that Eliza woman and the DEO agent?”

“You were.”

“So you were raised in a military family?”

“Science, actually. Alex was recruited by the DEO in college.”

“That’s something, I suppose,” Cat said lifting her coffee mug. “Most scientists, I find, are a far more trustworthy bunch then those trained to always follow the leader. So, a household of scientists? I guess the wide-eyed optimism is all you than and not some act you put on.”

“Kara Danvers and Kara Zor-El are the same person.”

Cat took a sip from the mug in her hand. Perhaps it was the use of her real name, but Cat stopped for a moment and seemed to be absorbing what she was learning. “And yet Kara Danvers was always just the right amount of clumsy despite her secret powers.”

“As I child it was necessary to be as average as possible, to protect myself and my family and eventually it became who I was.”

“But with the suit and cape there is no holding back?”

There was an easy way to explain this but Kara knew she had to tread very carefully. “Think of it like Carter.”

Cat’s eyes grew wide but, like the great reporter she was, she didn’t speak.

“Your son has incredible gifts. He’s smart, curious, and often times can process situations better than most adults because he’s so unique.”

“Go on.”

“He seldom shows those gifts to people unless he’s feeling perfectly safe. Otherwise, he stays quiet, reserved, and in the background. Kara Danvers has to do the same thing.”

“You are a grown woman. You don’t need Kara Danvers anymore.”

“That is where you are wrong, Cat. Like I said, I am Kara Danvers and every piece of my life makes me a better person.” 

“Is this the point in the conversation where you claim this was why you didn’t tell me the truth? And yet Maxwell Lord knew.”

“He wasn’t told. Maxwell Lord placed advanced surveillance on my sister and learned my identity.”

Concern flickered in Cat’s eyes and Kara could hear her heartbeat speed up. “To what end?”

“I think he originally intended to kill me and some day he still might try,” Kara offered honestly as she took a sip of coffee. “You were left out, Cat, because I didn’t want to see you or Carter hurt and because I couldn’t lose my life at CatCo. What I do there grounds me?”

“But instead of being honest with me you preferred lying to me and faking some other you.”

“Because when you first learned the truth you gave my an ultimatum; told me that the world needed me to have no distractions.”

“You shouldn’t have distractions.”

“That is no way to live,” Kara presented, bluntly. “But this isn’t really about me working at CatCo. All this is about you being upset I didn’t confide in you.”

“I have a right to be upset, Kara.” 

“You’re right. You do. I’m sorry you feel you were left out.”

“You know me maybe better than anyone except probably Carter, but during Myriad…” Cat began to say and then stopped for a moment and took a drink. Kara couldn’t tell if Cat was stalling to form her words or silence her emotions. “You know what it takes for me to be vulnerable, you knew what was at stake for the world, but still you couldn't trust me enough to tell me. Instead, you gave me some aggrandizing thank you speech before you flew off to save the planet. Yes, Kara, I know about the massive bit of steel that was flown up into space. Another event the government did a bang up job not covering up very well."

“At that point it seemed cruel to tell you. I had every reason to believe I wasn’t coming back.”

“You didn’t think I would notice you were gone. Like one day while drinking my morning coffee I would suddenly realize that my assistant was missing and Supergirl no longer cared enough to save people.”

Kara realized it was as close to a warm acknowledgment of what she meant to Cat as she was going to get under the circumstances. “What do we do about this now?”

“We deal with the threat to the President and work to expose those behind it. The rest will be dealt with later.” From the tone of voice, the discussion of Cat’s feelings were now over and there would be no bringing it up again until Cat did. “Now, explain to me, why yesterday morning, I watched tape of you crying on my balcony at CatCo."

Kara wanted to kick herself. "The cameras."

"Yes. Sad, lost, vulnerable, Supergirl with the same Kara slouch, videotaped by surveillance looking like she was on some teen Vampire show.”

"As I said, that’s me. It was a hard day and our talk here on the balcony rattled me. Everyone has off days.”

"Sure but that doesn’t explain how you can stop buildings from falling and airplanes from crashing but you felt the need to go off and cry alone?”

"The world feels safer around the indestructible me,” Kara confessed.

"You will become a better hero with a strong team of people you trust around you. People who you can show that vulnerability."

“It’s not like I don’t have friends. They were just all occupied with other things.”

“I’ve been told people can never have too many friends.”

It seemed maybe the discussion of Cat’s feelings was still happening. "There are enough people with targets on their backs."

"Kara, sweet, foolish, Kara, does this situation we are in right now not show you that there are already dangers that have nothing to do with you?”

“You’re right,” Kara admitted, now with confirmation, that in a roundabout way, Cat had still managed to talk about how she felt about the betrayal without having to say too much about herself.

“I often am. So, now, what do we need to do to catch some bad guys tomorrow.”

* * *

The phone ringing on the nightstand yanked Maggie from a very deep sleep. As she jumped, she felt Alex jump and then her body rolling away from where it was pressed up against Maggie’s. 

Towards the end of the second ring, Alex answered the call. “Danvers.”

Maggie sat up against the headboard, propping herself with pillows and watching Alex intently.

“Yes sir. That’s good news. Absolutely. We will see you then.” Hanging up the phone, Alex rolled back over again and leaned against her side of the headboard. “They think Winn has managed to modify the government-issue earpieces so they can buffer any attempt to provide other instructions to the wearer.”

“How does something like that work?”

“I have no idea but as long as it works, he can explain the science later.”

“So J’onn’s heading over?”

“He needs to alert the President first. They need to figure out how to get the tech passed out to the entire team without raising suspicion. After that he is heading her. Probably a couple of hours.”

“So I guess we better get back into work mode,” Maggie said as she started to climb out of bed. 

Alex reached over and took her forearm. “We have a little time.”

Maggie had her back to Alex, so the smile that began to grow on her face was hidden from view. “What do you have in mind?” 

Alex tugged gently and Maggie relented, turning back onto the bed. The moment Maggie's feet were off the ground, Alex’s lips were on hers, the question answered without words.


	18. Chapter 18

Sleep was proving difficult for Maggie and so she quietly crawled out of bed. Picking up her phone to light her way into the living room, she noticed it was only an hour later than the last time she saw the clock which meant it was still four hours before the alarm would be going off. Time was moving at a snail's pace and her mind wouldn't shut off no matter how exhausted she was at the moment. 

The job was a lot of pressure under normal circumstances but what they were facing amplified it. On a positive note they had done what they could to place the odds in their favor. They might not have found A'Daire and Abbott yet but, thanks to Oracle, they were closing in on them. At the very least it would be difficult for them to sneak their way into the park without someone noticing since everyone had been instructed to arrest on sight. The complication was A’Daire’s hypnotic skill set and having no idea if she had already infiltrated the protection detail. 

J'onn had dropped off the ear buds. The explanation as to how they should work didn't make much sense to Maggie but Alex seemed to understand. There was a lot of nodding. 

Maggie wished at this moment she had a version of the technology for her brain so she could tune out the doubt that was prickling at the back of her mind. This case mattered to her more than any other and failure wasn't an option. Those responsible for the murders needed to be caught and the President protected at all cost. It meant something to have a leader who desired seeing the world a better more inclusive place. Maggie imagined that if it gave her hope that darkness could be overcome than it had to also give hope to millions of other people as well. She had seen darkness first hand and she knew the path the world would be on if the hate that seemed to be motivating the conspiracy was given the chance to grow. The memory of the dead empty eyes of a teenager she had tried to help would always be a constant reminder of it. 

Sitting in the dark on the sofa, Maggie tried to think about something else but that just led her to thinking about Alex, beautiful, dynamic, complicated, frustrating, kind, confusing, sexy, Alex. Maggie had a habit of making life difficult and now was no exception. The moment she laid eyes on Alex earlier in the week, Maggie's wall had gone up but now it was nowhere to be seen and she was wishing Alex wasn't asleep. 

This was the level of resolve she had left? Less than a week in her presence and Maggie was letting Alex in after a few meals, many arguments, some sex, and an honest chat. It was insane but if she was being honest it was also fantastic. Alex was still curled up in bed and it was like Maggie could still feel her arms around her and her body under her. The longing was intoxicating but also comforting. 

"Hey," Alex said from over Maggie's shoulder. 

Maggie leapt from the sofa and banged her knee on the coffee table. "Jesus, Alex."

A quick, soft laugh was the response. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'll live." Maggie said, nursing her knee and sitting back down.

In the dark, Alex managed, without incident, to move around the sofa to join her. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No."

"You could have woken me up."

"I didn't want both of us exhausted."

"Still. You could have."

Maggie stayed silent, tucking one of her legs against her chest. 

"Are you okay?"

"Huge assignment in the morning."

"For both of us."

"Yeah."

"And?"

"And nothing."

"Maggie, it's been a while but I still know when something is bothering you. So out with it."

Stubbornness, Maggie wished she didn’t always resort to when vulnerable, began to emerge. "Tomorrow is a big deal, a lot at stake."

"And?"

No way Maggie was going to confess anything more. Things were shaky enough without revealing the depths of her anxiety over the mission. It was time to deflect, or lie, anything so she could still feel like she had some control. "I just need time, Alex."

"Is this about us?” Alex's tone was soft, gentle, and surprisingly supportive. “You're still having doubts?" 

Maggie wasn't certain if pretending this was all about them was cruel but it made it easier than having to fully reveal herself to Alex. "We're trying to fit together like we used to and it's too fast."

"I've already told you," Alex said, as her hand found Maggie's knee in the dark. "Whatever you need."

The offer struck Maggie hard. She considered telling the truth about her anxiety over the case, detailing how seeing the dead teenager made her feel, exposing the anger she felt about such violence, how the memory of the ire in her own brother's tone when he learned she was gay had resurfaced while working the case, and how her drive for justice was being fueled by that past. Maggie felt she should explain all of it but found she couldn't. Instead, said exactly the opposite of what she had been feeling about what was developing with Alex. "I can feel myself starting to pull away." 

"So can I."

The response surprised Maggie because she felt like Alex could always read her like a book and the confession, after all, had been a lie. Hadn’t it? "Where does that leave things?"

"We cut ourselves some slack. We take each moment as they come."

Maggie couldn’t stop a smile from coming to her lips. "Will that work?"

Alex's hand took Maggie's. "I don't know but come back to bed and try and sleep. Work first and then we worry about us once we put some killers behind bars.” Standing up, Alex then effortlessly led them up the steps and to the bed. 

The softness of her hands and the selflessness of her words warmed Maggie's heart. A confession was trying to push past her lips. "Alex..."

"Shhh. Sleep now. Talk more tomorrow night after we celebrate breaking this case."

Maggie nodded and swallowed her feelings. It seemed a good plan. After tomorrow maybe there would be justice and maybe after tomorrow she could begin a future that made her smile more often without worrying about getting her heart broken.

As soon as they were both under the covers, Alex drew Maggie close. Maggie didn't resist and laid her head on Alex's chest. 

Fingers moved through Maggie's hair as the gentle beating of Alex's heart slowed in Maggie's ear. Eventually a yawn and sleep soon followed.


	19. Chapter 19

The sun wasn't up as Cat and Supergirl climbed into the black, bulletproof SUV with tinted windows. It was an unconventional way for Kara to travel but Cat, once again, had refused to fly. The DEO agents assigned to the pick up were surprised by Supergirl's presence but after checking with the President's team the arrangement was authorized. 

For a variety of reasons, not the least of which were security related, they had ridden over in complete silence. A quiet Cat Grant was unsettling even under the best circumstances and these were not those. The one advantage of not being able to discuss anything related to what was going on was that Kara didn't have to listen anymore to sarcastic, passive aggressive quips. 

She had seen Cat Grant in varying states of anger before but the remainder of the previous day had been extreme even for Cat. The under the breath or outright cutting comments Kara endured while protecting the CEO had launched well past mean some time after dinner, following the evening news. It seemed an hour of stories about national security and world events had put Cat on edge, which made things, in a word, unpleasant. 

In Cat's presence, Kara and Supergirl were finally one person and for Kara the more timid parts of her personality were the ones taking on all the guilt over Cat’s obvious hurt from being excluded from the truth. The hero part of Kara was grappling with being angry at Cat for not understanding why it had been safer to keep her in the dark. She could only hope this was something they could get past as the friendship with the CEO, as complicated as it was, mattered to Kara.

When they arrived at the secured location, behind where the President would later be speaking, it was Director Henshaw who was waiting for them. 

"Good morning," Hank greeted as he opened the door to the SUV and offered his hand to assist Cat out of the vehicle. "We will get you settled and then the President will be with you momentarily."

Cat nodded and started moving towards were there seemed to be activity across the lawn near a large stone building, which evoked classic Greek architecture. Hank headed off to walk with the CEO while Supergirl exited the SUV on her own and followed. The trio moved silently until they got within about forty yards of the large stone building. 

"Ms. Grant, these are for you," Henshaw said, as he handed over what looked to be two very small hearing aids. 

"For?"

"If the technology holds up, these should protect you from any contact with A'Daire."

"Why do you think I would have contact with her?" Cat asked, her body language telegraphing a mix of irritation and fear. 

Hank had his understanding face on and Supergirl wondered if he had read Cat's mind. "It's merely a precaution with the President's life on the line."

The answer seemed agreeable. "How do they work?"

"I've been told the fastest way to explain is to say they are like noise canceling headphones."

Cat looked at them sitting in the palm of her hand. "How will I hear anything else?"

"They were designed to keep certain wavelengths, those that might operate on a subliminal level, out. Nothing else is affected. You would hear her as she tried to manipulate you but your mind wouldn't feel the need to obey."

Cat shrugged and slid them into each ear. "Well, let’s get this over with."

The three of them continued until they reached the building. The plaque at the front read - National City Community Center and explained it was the only permanent structures in the park, having been built as a meeting place when the city was founded in the late 1800's. At the top of the grand staircase they were met by secret service and went through a thorough security check. It was time consuming with all that Cat had in her bag but at least it added some piece of mind where the President's safety was concerned. 

After being cleared they were led into the main area of the building. The room was large and felt heavy. Lots of white marble columns holding up the vaulted ceiling and very uncomfortable looking marble benches were scattered in the room. Where the room itself was cold the exhibit that was covering the walls was alive with color. The sign at the entrance explained it was a citywide art competition featuring works by local school children celebrating the theme of diversity. It was a fitting display considering the speech about to transpire. 

Not wanting to sit in silence or be forced to make small talk, Supergirl began to take in each of the projects that decorated the walls. She was immediately impressed by the talent and depth displayed even by the works of some of the youngest artists. One of the paintings made her smile especially wide. It was by a twelve year old whose talent with a paintbrush was impressive for one so young. It featured a large grouping of people standing on risers and holding hands. There were people from all backgrounds, all different sizes, shapes, skin colors, planetary races, and genders and among them was someone with long hair and a familiar red S on her chest. Supergirl made a mental note to inquire about the young artist who painted it. She decided she would try and find the girl so she could drop by and tell her how much she liked her work. 

Before Supergirl could finish taking in the rest of the art, the heavy doors at the front of the room opened and the President walked in. "It is wonderful to see you all," the President said with an easy confidence about her. There wasn't a hint of worry in her tone. 

"Madam President," Hank and Supergirl said in unison. 

"Olivia," Cat smirked. 

The casual hello sent Supergirl's eyes wide while Hank's eyebrows went up. The leader of the free world just smiled. 

"Catherine." The President said, while moving in Cat's direction. The women shared a European greeting by kissing one another on both cheeks. "It's been far too long."

"Someone has been too busy running the free world to have any 'off the record' martini lunches."

"This job requires me to make personal sacrifices."

"I suppose," Cat said in a way that admitted defeat but was uncharacteristically playful. "How long do we have before you have to speak?"

"We've got twenty minutes set aside for this piece of the interview then I have some more preparations to make before the event begins..."

"Hands to shake, babies to kiss, that sort of thing," Cat interrupted. 

"Something like that." The President admitted and then turned to her secret service detail. "The team can wait outside."

A tall, bald man with olive skin and a stiff demeanor took a step into the room. "Madam President, you know the rules."

"Supergirl is here and if anything were to happen she is more than capable of protecting me."

"But..."

"I'm not asking you to leave the grounds. Just outside the door."

Her three-person Secret Service team nodded reluctantly and then left the room, shutting the door behind them.

After a second, the President continued. "So, how much do you know, Catherine?"

"Enough to know you were smart to take that precaution during this interview."

Henshaw cleared his throat. "As a reminder, Ms. Grant, there are details that still remain off the record."

The President looked up at Hank but didn't speak.

"I'm very aware," Cat explained. "I will ask any of those questions with the knowledge that the answers can only be used under certain circumstances."

This time it was the President who smirked. 

"What is that look for?" Cat challenged. 

"It's amusing to see you playing so nicely with others."

The tiniest of grins came to Supergirl's lips. She needed to remind herself when all of this was over to ask the President how she learned to go toe to toe with Cat Grant.

Cat continued on. "So when did you become aware there was a viable threat against your life?"

\---

Final security checks had been done. Secret service reported the perimeter was secured and despite about one hundred protestors assembled outside the park, things were going smoothly. For the dozenth time since arriving, Maggie checked that her earpieces were in and her microphone was working.

Lifting her hand to her mouth, Maggie spoke ‘into her sleeve’. “Sawyer, park center, secure.”

“Copy that,” the voice at the command center responded. 

Maggie saw Alex turn to her and offer a small smile that Maggie returned. There was a comfort knowing that Alex and her DEO team were among those working the event but there was still a part of Maggie that was unable to shake a deep concern that something was going to happen. No matter how prepared they all were they had very determined adversaries who already showed how far they were willing to go.

The initial introductions by the Mayor of National City had been a crowd pleaser. He was well liked and his policies aligned nicely with the theme of the day. On the other hand the lukewarm comments by the State's Senior Senator weren't exactly inspiring. Not only was he maybe one of the worst speakers in Congress but he was also one of the few in his party who didn't much care for the President and it often showed. He was obviously there because she was so popular and he was up for re-election. 

His dower attitude didn't hang over the crowd for long though as the energy in the park immediately turned electric the second the President was called to the podium. The entire place, which was at capacity, erupted into thunderous applause. The President took in the crowd in a way that made Maggie wonder if she was committing each and every face to memory. The sun was shining on National City and Maggie allowed herself a moment to soak in the happiness around her. 

"Thank you all for joining us,” The President pronounced. “Today is a momentous occasion for our country and, I hope, soon the world. We begin the next phase of embracing an even more inclusive future and I couldn't be more proud that America is getting to lead the way. In the middle of New York Harbor, The Statue of Liberty still stands as a symbol of hope and freedom for immigrants. In the late 1800's, as she began to keep watch over America, no one could have imagined the exciting time we would now live. I dare say if the hardworking people, with whom helped her rise up, were to see what a remarkable journey we have thus far forged...”

A series of loud bangs that sounded like large weapon fire brought the event crashing to a halt and Maggie's worst fears became reality. 

\---

It all happened fast. Supergirl swooped in, shielding the President. Snapping her head towards the side of the stage she saw one of the secret service shield Cat Grant by dragging her to the ground. Other agents began to swarm the stage.   
Uncertainty tried to fight its way into Supergirl's mind. Who could she trust to help? Taking in the three who appeared on the stage, none of them showing any concern about their own lives as they flanked the President, Supergirl decided the team on the stage could be trusted. 

"I'll be fine, Supergirl. Help who you can and find who is responsible," the President shouted, as they moved to the edge of the stage where Cat and the agent who had protected her began to stand. Supergirl and Cat locked eyes and then Cat nodded towards the rest of the park. 

Supergirl nodded back and took to the sky. Scanning the crowd from the air, she could see panic in the assembled as they ran. Smoke was rising from just outside the park. She moved higher as more loud bangs began to ring out from somewhere in the direction of the smoke. 

\---

The explosions seemed to be coming from the parameter of the park. Moving in the direction of the noise, Maggie's heart was slamming in her chest. As fast as she was moving, Alex was moving faster and without warning bolted to the left. Trusting Alex's instincts, Maggie followed. After nearly colliding into three teenagers, Maggie saw what Alex was heading towards. Standing just on the edge of the scattering crowd, near the tree line, was a monster of a man. It wasn't that he was tall, although he was, it was that he was a man transforming before her eyes into a monster. 

Maggie reached for the trigger on the wire that ran up her sleeve and barked into the microphone. "It's Sawyer. Abbott sighted on the South lawn."

Releasing the microphone she then moved her hand to her hip and drew her weapon as she continued running towards Alex. 

\---

Supergirl had put out a fire, which from the size of it was meant as a distraction. There was no sign of any explosives or a shooter. She turned and scanned the outskirts of the park but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Local police and fire were moving in to secure the perimeter.

It was then, with her super hearing, she heard Detective Sawyer identify that Abbott was on the South lawn. Having read the background on Kyle Abbott, Supergirl knew the DEO would need help. Turning in the air she flew back into the park. 

As she came over the trees Supergirl took in the situation. Three secret service agents and Vasquez were pining someone to the ground and cuffing them. From the way he was dressed he appeared to be from the President's security detail. Either A'Daire had infiltrated the secret service ranks or there were those in the administration who were in on the conspiracy. 

A quick look towards the stage and attendees were still fleeing. Just past the staging area the President and Cat Grant were being moved swiftly back into the community center for protection. At least from there, the team Supergirl believed could be trusted would have better control over the situation. 

J'onn, who had transformed into his alien form, settled in next to her in the air. "Down there," he said while pointing. 

Supergirl followed where he was indicating and sprung into action. 

\--- 

As Maggie pushed her way through more fleeing civilians to reach Alex, she noticed two secret service agents drawing their weapons. At least she and Alex had some backup since Abbott wasn't going to go down without a very big fight. 

"Aim for the body mass. It should slow him down," Maggie yelled. 

Instead of firing, the agents turned their weapons towards Maggie, aimed up, and began firing into the air. Snapping her head to where they were focused Maggie's stomach dropped. They weren't trying to stop a flying villain. They were firing at Supergirl. These weren't men to be trusted. They were compromised or traitors. 

Maggie’s instincts were telling her they were compromised since both of them were ignoring her. Unsure what the bullets might be made of Maggie made her move. She holstered her gun and ran, at full speed, barreling into one of them shoulder first. The tackle pulled them both to the ground and the agent's gun flung from his hand and back out of reach. He scrambled and began to try and wrestle away from her. Leverage hadn't been on his side as a punch to Maggie’s jaw had been weaker than she expected but the hit still rattled her enough he was able to scramble up to his feet. Maggie wasted no time kicking at his kneecap sending him screaming in pain back to the ground.

The other agent remained singularly focused unloading his entire weapon at Supergirl. Maggie was now certain they had been brainwashed since he hadn't retaliated towards her for taking out his partner in crime. Scrambling back up to her feet, Maggie prepared to barrel into the second shooter before he could reload when something moved out of the corner of her eye. As quickly as the movement appeared, the brainwashed agent was the recipient of a roundhouse kick to the face. The kick had come from a red boot that didn't belong to Supergirl. 

"Kate?" Maggie yelled, the person connected to the boot registering. 

Batwoman let loose with a quick combo of strikes eventually knocking the compromised agent off his feet. "Help the rest of your team. I can handle these two."

Maggie would deal with Kate later. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, from where she had driven herself into the first agent's midsection, she took off in Alex's direction. As she got closer she saw Supergirl being thrown into the center of the park and watched as Alex, who wasn't using her weapon, attempted to fight off the creature with the same lack of success Supergirl had just had. 

"Alex! Don't."

The creature's head whipped at Maggie as his arm swiped at Alex managing only to miss clawing her flesh by inches. 

Drawing her gun, Maggie fired five times. It got the creatures attention causing it to leap in her direction. With little effort he landed within a foot of where she stood and knocked her down hard as his claws slashed across her left arm. Maggie's head ached from bouncing off the ground as she fell. Excruciating pain radiated from where Abbott tore her flesh. Blood was running from the wound on the side of her arm, the wetness immediately soaking her shirt. The claws had cut deep. Lying on the ground, her head turned to the side; she could see J’onn assisting some of his team clear out civilians while Kate fought off two new figures in suits. 

A very loud popping noise filled Maggie's ears and instead of delivering a violent or even fatal blow the creature leapt away again in the direction of whomever was firing. Maggie assumed it was Alex and rose slowly. Her head spinning, she tried to ignore the dizziness. Her body was in so much pain. As her eyes refocused, Maggie saw a blur of blue moving towards the monster and then felt a hand on her shoulder. 

A slow, seductive voice crawled through and over every nerve in her body. Maggie turned towards it, confused. Before her was a beautiful, overdressed redhead with the most hypnotic green eyes that Maggie had ever seen. The woman smiled and Maggie thought she saw a wink as the pain from the fight went away. It was replaced by confusion and then panic and then Maggie's mind went blank. 

\- - - 

Unharmed by being tossed like a ragdoll or the barrage of more bullets, and certain the woman in the Batsuit could handle things on her own, Supergirl flew back towards her sister knowing Alex couldn't handle the werewolf without help. As she got within a few yards of reaching the creature, she glanced in the Detective’s direction. 

It all seemed to register in slow motion. Supergirl saw Maggie get up from the ground, gripping her badly bleeding arm. The Detective’s balance was obviously off as she wobbled in place with her eyes glued on Alex. It was then that a woman appeared at her side. The beautiful stranger had dramatic red hair and was elegant. From her attire, she was neither secret service nor DEO. The woman placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder and that was when Supergirl saw it, dangling in front of the Detective was a wire that was the lead to one of Maggie's ear pieces, which was also dangling in front of her.

Supergirl immediately feared the worst and started to take off after Maggie but got nowhere. A heavy hand gripped her shoulder tightly again and flung her hard. She heard her sister yell and watched the fire in Abbott's eyes as she got further and further away. It wasn't until Supergirl connected with a statue in the park, that instantly turned to dust, that she lost her view of things. 

Shaking off the collision, the dust settled and she watched Abbott's attention turned back to Alex, and so Supergirl stood and flew full force at him. Connecting square into his midsection she heard things crack and he crumpled on impact. Vasquez and her team descended quickly with means to contain the monster. 

J'onn landed at Supergirl's side. "The President and Cat Grant are secure."

Alex nodded, there was a look towards Detective Sawyer and then fear enveloped her face. She started running towards Maggie. 

Supergirl's attention was drawn back to the Detective as well and that was when she saw it. Maggie Sawyer, who was yelling nonsense, was moving to draw her gun.

\- - - 

Maggie had never felt such deep rage. Seeing Alex Danvers moving towards her from across the park made her want to scream. She deserved to die.

Kate deserved to die.

Supergirl deserved to die. 

J'onn deserved to die. 

Anyone who stood in the way of the cleansing deserved to die. 

Slowly stalking across the lawn, Maggie drew her weapon.

\- - -

A blur of movement took Supergirl's eyes off Maggie for a moment. A'Daire was moving across the lawn defending herself against a rather skilled frontal hand to hand assault by the woman in the Batsuit. They were evenly matched and if it hadn't been so violent it would have seemed like an exquisite dance. 

"I'll take care of A'Daire. Stop Detective Sawyer," J'onn instructed, as he took flight in the direction of the fight.

Supergirl turned in the direction of her sister. Alex was still moving towards Maggie but more slowly than before. Her body language was telegraphing her caution and her gun was still at her side. 

The Detective had stopped moving but her gun was still drawn and she was still yelling nonsense. What was different was Maggie's hands were shaking and her eyes were filled with panic. Perhaps she was trying to fight whatever instruction A'Daire had planted. Supergirl only needed her to do it long enough for her to be safety stopped. 

Leaping into the air and flying towards Maggie, Supergirl got within reach, snatching the gun out of Maggie's hand. Flying past her she then snapped the weapon in half before dropping it to the ground. 

In the distance, J'onn had joined the battle with A'Daire. It seemed the immortal was no slouch but J'onn, and the Batwoman, were starting to wear the villain down. 

"I've got this," Alex yelled, as Supergirl was turning to head back towards Maggie. "Vasquez needs you."

Looking to where Alex's attention was split, Supergirl could see that Vasquez, and the team that had been securing Abbott, were facing resistance. He was transforming from beast back to man but it was causing him to thrash violently. Whatever sedative they had given him wasn't working. 

"But Alex?!"

"I've got this Supergirl."

Nodding at her sister, she leapt to assist Vasquez. Landing within reach of Abbott, Supergirl held him to the grass as his body completed its transformation back to human form. Once a man again Vasquez leaned in and stabbed Abbott with a massive needle and his body went limp. He was still alive but whatever the tranquilizer was it was strong enough to sedate his human form. Kara could have sworn she heard snoring. 

"You have this?" Supergirl asked. 

Vasquez nodded. 

Turning back to where she left her sister, Supergirl saw Alex and Maggie in what looked like a brutal street fight, a brutal street fight that Alex was losing. Her leg was swept and Alex dropped hard onto her back. Maggie was quickly advancing. Taking once more to the sky, Supergirl flew towards them. 

As she got just within range, some kind of sonic signal rang in Supergirl's ears. The pain was unbearable, tears immediately formed in her eyes and her equilibrium teetered. Unable to steer her flying, she tried to pull up but couldn't do it fast enough and collided into Detective Sawyer's side. The sound from the sonic signal gone it was replaced by the alarming sound of bones fracturing in the Detective from where Supergirl had made contact. Panic gripped her as they tumbled quickly across the lawn. The rolling only stopped as Supergirl slammed into a tree that cracked on impact and toppled over away from where they were laying. 

As she stood, Alex screamed loud enough that her voice carried across the entire length of the lawn. “Maggie!”

Kara looked down to the eerily still Detective Sawyer, who was cradled in her arms, and her heart sank.


	20. Chapter 20

Having witnessed what happened, Agent Susan Vasquez was bolting towards Supergirl with Alex right behind her. Supergirl had never witnessed the Agent anywhere but her computer terminal and was glad for her support as the normally reserved agent reached where Detective Sawyer lay unconscious in the hero’s arms and immediately fell to her knees. 

Gently taking Detective Sawyer's wrist, Vasquez felt for a pulse. "It's weak but it's there. We need to get her to a hospital."

Despite the ringing in her ears, Supergirl was able to make out what Vasquez said. "Where is safe to take her? A'Daire got to her."

Alex arrived, nearly sliding into them in front of Supergirl and next to Vasquez. "Is she?" 

Vasquez placed a hand on Alex's shoulder. "She has a pulse."

"When we collided," Supergirl started to explained but stopped to spare her sister the details. "She needs medical attention."

"DEO has medical privilege at St. Luke's," Vasquez quickly interrupted. "Take her there. Ask for Doctor Caitlin Snow, she's the head of Neurology, explain to her that I sent you. Have them treat her but make sure they keep her either sedated or secured."

Supergirl didn’t wait for anything else. She took to the sky with an unconscious Detective Sawyer in her arms; hoping that the doctor's at St. Luke's could help the injured officer. 

\---

Kara entered Cat Grant's office not in the mood to face off. The ringing in her ears was still present and she was both physically and mentally exhausted. Whatever Cat would decide about Kara's future it couldn’t be worse than what had happened already. Eleven secret service agents, one member of the DEO, along with a local TV reporter from a rival media company, and Detective Sawyer had all fallen victim to A'Daire's thrall. Some were taken into custody with little issue, a handful were nursing broken bones and mild concussions, and all but one were locked up at the DEO until the effects wore off. 

Maggie Sawyer hadn't been as lucky. Her injuries were primarily internal and yet Kara felt like she had the detective's blood on her hands. Kara was devastated that she had caused most of Maggie's most severe injuries. The look on Alex's face, as Kara held the detective in her arms, was still haunting her hours later. 

So, if Cat Grant fired Kara for lying to her about her identity or because she felt Kara's focus needed to remain on being a hero and not a reporter, so be it. Kara would accept things and move on. The afternoon had been a glaring example of how dangerous her work as Supergirl was and how anyone around her was at risk. She had no regrets about keeping Cat in the dark for as long as she had, not after what had just happened. 

“How are the people who were effected?” Cat asked, as Kara shut the office door behind her.

“Those needing it are receiving medical attention and all are in some form of confinement or sedation until the brainwashing wears off.”

“And those responsible?”

“We were able to subdue both A’Daire and Abbot, who are now behind some very technologically advanced bars.”

“I assume they haven't implicated anyone else.”

“Is the head of CatCo asking or are you," Kara snapped at her boss. 

Disappointment appeared in Cat's eyes. “I’m asking.”

“They’ve not said a word.”

The mogul exhaled. “Not surprising."

Kara really wasn't in the mood for small talk. She had other places she needed to be. “If that’s everything I need to check back in with the DEO. Just because things are secured doesn't mean there isn't still a lot going on."

“As I was whisked away, I saw your sister in the park protecting people. Is she okay?

The change to something personal was abrupt but appreciated. “A few minor injuries. Her friend, a detective with NCPD, was thralled by A'Daire during the fight."

Cat's heartbeat increased two fold and she took a seat on the sofa. "Is she all right?"

Kara didn't want to sit. She wanted to go check on Detective Sawyer and on Alex but being able to talk about everything might help clear her mind before she had to face everyone else. So she joined her boss on the sofa. "I had to intervene. She was hurt rather badly.”

“I'm sorry she was injured but without your intervention, your sister’s friend would have kept going until her mission was accomplished.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better about what happened."

Softness came over Cat and there wasn't a hint of the CEO in her expression. "What did happen? You aren't one to do harm if you can avoid it and even under a thrall, humans are no match for you."

Kara nodded. "I was flying in to restrain her and some kind of sonic signal ripped through me. My ears are still ringing. I lost complete control of my equilibrium and couldn't fly right. I managed to slow down but collided into her."

"She'll be okay," Cat offered as she placed a hand on Kara's knee. They both looked down at the contact and Cat very nonchalantly removed her hand. "It sounds like we are dealing with people with access to military weaponry or one, of a select few, private technology firms."

Kara didn't want to look for clues right now. "Possibly."

Cat stood from the sofa and moved to her desk where she opened a drawer and removed something. "Speaking of technology I should return these ear buds." 

The smoothness in the change of subject, even for Cat, was impressive. 

"Director Henshaw told me to let you know you should keep them, just in case."

Cat shrugged and placed the buds back in her desk. The mogul was pretending not to care but Kara suspected she was grateful for the gift. "Director. I still find it remarkable and yet comforting, especially after today, that there is an alien with your level of power serving as head of the DEO."

"Co-head. There is built-in oversight to keep everyone in Washington happy. Lucy Lane shares the title."

"A strong choice." Cat’s words didn’t match her tone. Kara detected that her boss had misgivings. 

"She's a great leader and a good friend."

"Even if her father might be the devil," Cat asked, with a lift of an eyebrow.

"He's critical of aliens but in our interactions with him he didn’t seem radicalized."

Cat came back around to the front of her desk and leaned on it. The look on her face thoughtful, her arms folded neatly across her chest but not in a defensive stance. "Just be careful, Kara. After what I overheard, don't worry it is all ‘off the record’, a large number of the President's direct protection detail were involved today. Considering the kind of routine they keep, A'Daire getting to them would have been impossible. Some of the betrayals might have had nothing to do with being influenced by anything except their own radical ideas."

"We will be exploring all avenues," Kara offered as she stood. "Look, if there is nothing else I have somewhere I need to be."

Cat nodded. “Just make sure I have, in my inbox, the background piece, with all the ‘on the record’ reporting you have, within the next twenty minutes. Clock is ticking and I would rather not have to go on air to break the rest of the story myself."

Kara considered saying something, giving her resignation, or yelling at Cat for going back into work mode but instead Kara took a breath, nodded, and then walked out of the room. 

She would have the story in Cat Grant's inbox before the elevator hit the ground floor.

\---

Arriving at the hospital, Kara immediately went to the floor the DEO had secured for Detective Sawyer, and the rest of the hospital’s, protection. As Kara scanned the hallway she saw Agent Vasquez was by the nurse's station conferring with the same Doctor that Supergirl had brought Maggie to see. The body language between the pair was professional but comfortable and might explain why the decision was to bring Maggie to Doctor Snow. There was energy, an ease, between the pair and Kara wondered if this was the Doctor it was rumored that Susan Vasquez was dating.

The neurologist was pretty, with soft features and long, wavy, brunette hair. When Kara met her, she had a nurturing demeanor; nothing like the way television shows portray gifted surgeons. Most impressive had been the speed at which Doctor Snow had pulled a team together to handle what was happening. There wasn't any feverish energy or chaos. Doctor Snow had been calm, clear, and conscience. It was obvious from the actions of the other doctors and nurses around her that they respected her.

While the women talked, further down the hall, in the doorway of a windowed consulting room, Hank was looking concerned. Inside the room he was observing, Alex was pacing. With her super vision, Kara could see that her sister had a very pronounced limp, her head was split open, and her beaten up hands considerably bruised and bloody from the fighting. 

With coffees in hand, Kara started towards her sister but was stopped by Vasquez who had quietly called out to her. "Hey, Kara, one second."

Turning back, Kara moved towards the nurse's station. Vasquez met her half way. 

"Agent Danvers won't let anyone check her out. Caitlin, I mean Doctor Snow, said she would take care of it but Alex is refusing medical attention."

"She's just shaken up over what happened. The director and Alex pulled Detective Sawyer onto the detail. She feels responsible."

"I get it," Vasquez replied. "But better she gets sewed up, gets some ice on those hands and has that limp checked out than end up worse off than when she came in."

"Give me a couple minutes and then bring Doctor Snow in. I'll get her to agree."

A tiny, sympathetic smile came to Susan Vasquez's face as she reached over and took Kara's hand. It was a strange gesture coming from the normally ‘by the book’ Agent. "What happened out there, it wasn't your fault,” she said in a whisper. “The sonic wave didn't only affect you. It did real damage and dropped everyone that was in the radius of the signal. The ER downstairs has about a dozen bystander’s facing serious hearing loss."

"Thanks, Susan. I just wish that things had gone differently,” Kara responded, grateful for the warmth. “Just give me a minute."

Vasquez nodded and headed back to the nurse's station as Kara turned to go and see Alex. 

Reaching the doorway, Hank looked at Kara and mouthed, "I'll give you some privacy."

Kara smiled at him as he slipped away. The truth about why J'onn had taken them under his wing had been an adjustment but now there wasn't a day that went by where Kara wasn't grateful to that he was more than just a boss. No one could replace her own father, or Jeremiah Danvers, but J'onn J'onzz was among a small grouping of extraordinary men who made her life better by being in it. 

"Alex, I brought you coffee."

"I'm not really thirsty,” her sister replied without looking back.

"I'll just leave it here on the counter."

"Thanks, Kara," Alex responded, her voice distant. 

Figuring it might speed things up, Kara dropped her glasses to the bridge of her noise and did a quick scan of Alex to make sure there was no extensive damage. There were no broken bones so the limp was probably a sprain and although the cut near her left eye was deep enough to need stitches it wasn't deep enough to need too many. Pushing her glasses back up onto her face, Kara waited by sipping the other coffee that was still in her hand. 

"Look, I'm good."

"You look a little banged up."

Alex shrugged. "I guess so."

"That cut above your eye looks deep."

"I'll let them stitch me up. I just needed some time."

"Any updates?"

Alex looked up. She had her ‘special agent face’ on and her tone was informative and void of emotion. "The compromised agents and reporter were treated and turned over to DEO for containment until the thrall wears off. Detective Sawyer is in surgery. The pneumothorax Supergirl discovered with her X-ray vision needed attention." 

Something about the cold way that Alex had told Kara what she already knew brought tears to her eyes. 

The sight of her sister upset seemed to snap Alex back. "What happened wasn't your fault, Kara?"

"Except it was."

A soft knock on the doorframe pulled them both out of the moment and Kara quickly wiped the tears from her face in a very human way. 

Agent Vasquez was standing at a respectful distance with her arms at her side and her posture positively military. "Sorry to interrupt, Ma'am, but Director Henshaw said he would feel better if you were looked at."

"Fine," Alex relented. 

Vasquez stayed in the doorway as Doctor Snow entered the consulting room. "Hi, Agent Danvers."

"Hi Caitlin, nice to see you again."

"Sorry that it isn't under better circumstances."

Alex nodded and managed a weak smile as she hopped up onto the edge of the exam table. 

"Let's get you cleaned up."

As Doctor Snow began to work on Alex, Vasquez motioned for Kara to step out of the room. 

Kara moved out of the exam room and into the hallway. "What is it?"

"The brain scan of Detective Sawyer came back. Doctor Snow says it is similar to brain mapping of patients under hypnosis but there was another area of the brain that was also affected."

"Explain."

"Pressure forming in the same lobe of the brain seen in patients with behavior abnormalities like those with extreme rage or narcissism issues."

"Explaining some of the emotional responses?"

"Yes. It seems so. Doctor Snow theorizes it is why the instinct to fight over rides flight. The victims of A’Daire’s abilities keep advancing towards their goal until they can't stand or they lose consciousness because of this added manipulation of their brains."

"So it doesn't help us with how A'Daire does what she does but at least now we know what it does to her victims?"

"It’s essentially provides us with a kind of finger print. Doctor Snow believes with this baseline she can now diagnosis people who are being controlled and hopes future scans of Detective Sawyer will provide us even more data. As long as the surgery goes well, and she can handle it, they are going to send Detective Sawyer for a second MRI the moment she is out of surgery."

"Anything else about her condition?"

"They are repairing the damage to her lung. I’m told it is a relatively routine procedure for the team here."

"Because of the cracked ribs."

"It was an accident."

"Doesn't change what happened."

"No, but it might have ended worse for any number of people, including Detective Sawyer, had you not stepped in."

Kara knew Vasquez, like Cat, was right so she relented the point and decided to just internalize the guilt. 

"At last check the surgery was going well. Detective Sawyer should be back in ICU in the next hour or so."

"That's good news,” Kara said, glancing back to watch as Doctor Snow began to sew up Alex’s forehead while the two of them made polite small talk.

"Also Oracle reached past my firewalls and left you a message.”

“More Intel?”

Vasquez shook her head. “No. Wanted to make sure the help was useful?"

Kara probably should have been above board and told the Director that she had asked for backup but she thought it was safer if no one knew she had made the request of the Gotham hacker. She only wished it had been a different form of backup since Kara knew of Batwoman's ties to Detective Sawyer. "I went around the DEO and asked for assistance since Superman couldn't leave Metropolis," Kara confessed. 

"Despite the complications her presence might bring, there was no denying Batwoman was a valuable asset in the fight.” 

Kara nodded. Something about Agent Vasquez’s tone led Kara to believe that Susan wasn’t just alluding to Batwoman’s vigilante reputation within law enforcement and military circles. 

"Her assistance made the arrest possible and we now have a chance to get to the bottom of the conspiracy,” Agent Vasquez added.

"Where did Director Henshaw go?"

"He was by the elevators making a call."

"I'll be right back."

Kara stared down the hallway. After reaching the turn in the corridor, she caught sight of Hank. He was on the phone but gave her a silent acknowledgment he would be right with her. 

The intent wasn’t to ease drop but with her powers it was generally unavoidable. It seemed Hank was confirming the containment of the altered agents and arranging for brain scans of all of those seemingly effected. Doctor Snow's discovery had the benefit of helping to identify those brainwashed but also those whose ideology was behind their betrayal. Civil liberty groups would have reason to find the scans a problematic slippery slope. Perhaps Hank and the White House felt the ends justified the means but Kara was nervous about the decision to force scans. 

As Kara got within a few feet of him, Hank was hanging up the call. From the look on his face she realized he might not be onboard with the idea either. 

"I had an obligation to let them know we had the tools to test them," Hank offered without prompting.

"Reading my mind?" Kara said with a soft smile.

The crooked grin, he sometimes had in the calmer moments, appeared. "Don't have to, it's written on your face."

"Seems a dangerous precedent."

"They see it like a Breathalyzer at a traffic stop."

"Scanning people’s brains goes a lot further than a Breathalyzer," Kara reminded him.

"That's for a court to decide. In the meantime, we treat it as a means to clear and provide medical attention to those who were brainwashed. The fact is also identifies those who believe the actions taken today were just is merely a bonus."

Kara nodded. "Everything else under control?"

"Our new guests are secured. No one will be allowed access except us."

"Good. Based on this new information we can’t be certain any human is safe in her presence."

"Alex finally agreed to treatment?"

Kara nodded. " She’s pretty shaken up and tends to default to stubborn when that happens but when I left Doctor Snow was sewing up her head.”

"It will be okay, Kara," Hank said, while avoiding the elephant in the room.

"I know."

"Are you staying?

“Yes, I cleared my schedule at CatCo. The backstory on the Meta murders has been submitted for publication. I can stay with Alex.”

“Okay, I’ll head back to the DEO and see if we can make any progress with our prisoners. Let me know if there are any updates."

"Will do."

As Kara walked back to where her sister was, she hoped Hank would be successful in getting information out of A’Daire, or even Abbot. If a deep conspiracy, with the help of skilled mercenaries, could do the kind of damage that occurred today who knew what else they were capable of accomplishing. Considering events, they had to know the sonic signal temporarily grounded Supergirl. With her, even briefly, out of the mix the scales could tip and if Cat was right and General Lane, or someone as connected as him, was involved there was also the matter of using Kryptonite, which could take Supergirl out permanently. There would be time for Kara to run through those scenarios later though. Right now the focus had to be on her sister.

Reaching the consulting room, Kara entered and witnessed proof that her instincts about Agent Vasquez and Doctor Snow had been correct. It wasn’t anything related to Kara’s super skills which tipped her off, although both their hearts quickened while Susan was handing Doctor Snow some gauze. The clue was in the way both of their lips tried not to form into a smile that screamed smitten, as their hands were about to touch. 

It wasn’t the first time Kara had witnessed that kind of telegraphing of feelings between two people. It was the first time she had witnessed it with Susan Vasquez. She always seemed such a solider. The exchange, for Kara, was like seeing the woman for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an entirely unplanned chapter that begged me to write it. There are a handful of 'easter eggs' and perhaps some future groundwork that forced their way out of my brain on this one and after what emerged, there is a chance, this universe might continue past what I had planned.


	21. Chapter 21

Everything hurt. Breathing was labored. Moving limited. Wrists confined. Panic started to rise as she struggled against what felt like handcuffs. A steady beeping made its way into her consciousness. Her eyes forced their way open. The light streaming in burned like when it was way past time for sleep. Heart racing. Throat dry. The room smelled of chemicals and death. All the clues aligned. It was obvious to her where she was and Maggie Sawyer hated hospitals. 

\---

It had been a tense forty-eight hours. The President had held a press conference announcing the creation of a multiple agency investigative task force to try and get to the bottom of what happened. The details she revealed were a similar narrative as the CatCo scoop Kara had written but with the additional identifying of the two mercenaries that were in custody as well as the unique skill set, they each had. Despite identifying them as Metas, the President was very mindful and reminded the public that two, hired, bad apples didn't represent an entire group of gifted people any more than human fascists or murders represented an entire race of their people. She refused to consider the actions of some to be the ideals of all and urged the public to do the same. The press conference was met with the usual partisan reaction. Those who wanted a reason to be scared or angry were and those who believed all people were inherently good stuck to that belief. A debate was swirling and social media was erupting with opinions. 

The one major detail that was kept top secret was the identities of those who had fallen victim to brainwashing. Thanks to Detective Sawyer's scans they had a way to identify legitimately harmed individuals and therefore those pretending. It was too important a tool to let anyone except a small group know about and by not revealing any of the individuals involved or to what degree they were involved it helped keep the new medical discovery under wraps. So far the President, select members of the DEO, and Doctor Snow were the only people aware of what they hoped would prove an upper hand. 

The DEO was working overtime treating those altered while starting files on those the scans indicated had not been victims of A'Daire. It was surprising how many fell into the latter category. The reporter and every attacking member of the President's direct detail were acting of their own free will and all were refusing to speak. Cat Grant had been right about what she had overheard. It stuck Kara as odd that someone could have made that assumption in the moments following the attack and had her wondering if more people wishing ill will weren't still lurking within the President's inner circle. 

Perhaps that was why when orders came from above for J'onn to use his mind-reading skills to gain intelligence Kara grew concerned. It was another slippery slope in the quest for the truth and one Kara wasn't happy about and neither was J'onn but he did as he was instructed. While reluctantly reading minds, he found that none of the guilty had direct contact with leadership and all were recruited online. They were an organized group of lone wolfs and the DEO were no closer to identifying those responsible for the attack than they were locating the source of the sonic signal that had nearly taken Supergirl out of the fight. 

J'onn's interrogations of both Abbot and A'Daire were also coming up empty where it counted. He had learned that Kyle Abbot's blind loyalty to A'Daire was a result of more than just cash but the Werewolf's arrogance and J'onn's resistance to using full mindreading were slowing things down. A'Daire, on the other hand, was a blank slate. J'onn had described her mind like a deep well that he couldn't reach the bottom of no matter how far he went. 

Since Kara's powers were physical she had been kept away from both of them. J'onn's reasoning was he wanted to use her as a last resort. She suspected there was another reason and Kara was grateful. Her anger over what happened was substantial. Trusting she wouldn't go overboard and worrying there was still a tiny chance she might was making sleep difficult. It was likely J’onn had noticed how conflicted she was about the tiny of part of her that wished to beat the truth out of one or both of them.

When not at the DEO, J'onn was sharing shifts at the hospital with Kara. Alex hadn’t left since Detective Sawyer had been admitted. The floor was still off limits to anyone but a select number of DEO personal and hospital staff. As of that morning, there hadn't been enough of a change to pull the Detective from the induced sedation. After the successful surgery, she had been taken for another scan, which showed signs that the pressure on her brain was dropping, but not too safe enough levels. Until her scans came back clean it was safer for her to be sleeping. 

Kara had spent the entire morning at CatCo trying to turn her breaking news story into a longer feature piece for the magazine. It wasn't going very well as her thoughts were focused elsewhere. She was getting the cold shoulder from Cat Grant and the growing hate rhetoric in the media over Metas and aliens was causing a building anger within Kara. She didn't understand people's inability to see the forest for the trees. If that wasn't enough, she worried about Alex's deep despair. It was no wonder Kara was finding it difficult to place words in the proper order. 

A midday phone call turned things around. It had been Agent Vasquez with the news that Doctor Snow seemed to the think the thrall had lifted and they were slowly pulling Detective Sawyer from sedation. Kara dropped what she was doing, Cat be damned, and headed to the hospital.

Upon arrival Kara, carrying a coffee for her sister, gave a quick wave to Doctor Snow who was conferring with a coworker. She then moved down the hallway to the small waiting area Alex had been living in since the incident. Opening the door to the room, Kara found Alex staring out the window. Her sister then turned and gave a weak smile. Alex looked better than she had the night before. Perhaps she had finally managed a little sleep. 

"Hi," Kara said, as she moved to her sister, removed a cup of coffee from her hand, and replaced it with the fresh cup from the coffee shop next to CatCo. "How is she?"

“Caitlin says Detective Sawyer is out of the woods where the brainwashing is concerned. They pulled her out of sedation about two hours ago. They took her for more tests and a complete physical. We are waiting for the results. If everything comes back okay, I've asked Agent Vasquez to handle the interview to see what the Detective might remember about what happened."

"Her diagnosis is still the same?"

"They will continue to monitor the concussion. They've done what they can for her lung, broken ribs, arm, and shoulder. The lacerations from Abbot’s claws are going to result in some deep scaring. The real worry with those injuries had been infection along with muscle and tissue damage. No infection developed but the rest won't be able to be assessed until she is more mobile. Doctor Snow wants to keep her for observation for at least another forty-eight hours."

“I'm glad they are being cautious.”

“So am I.” The relief on Alex’s face was projecting more than a friendly concern.

"And the rehabilitation time?"

"It will depend on the extent of the tissue damage and her willingness to work on her rehabilitation but it is going to be a long road. As for the rest, they are optimistic. The damage to everything else will just require lots of rest, which the Detective will not like."

“Alex, I’m really sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Kara. You did what you had to do.” 

Alex’s words still felt hollow. “I know but I just wish I had been able to stay in control. She would be much further along if it was just the fight with those agents and the attack by Abbot."

“If you hadn’t advanced on her when you did someone could have been killed and Maggie would never have forgiven herself.” The way Alex said the Detective's name spoke volumes. 

"So is she awake?"

"Yes."

“Are they allowing visitors?”

“Within reason."

Kara knew she needed to push. "So why are you out here instead of sitting in there with her?"

"Um, because she's okay and being monitored. Actually, I was about to head back to headquarters."

"Alex," Kara said in a scolding tone.

"What? She's better."

"But unless you see for yourself you won't be."

Alex was looking anywhere but at her sister and Kara knew it was time to put everything on the table. 

"You blew things up once with Maggie. Don't do it again."

Alex's eyes went wide. "Kara?"

"Super hearing, remember."

"I don't understand."

"That night at Stanford. I wasn't trying to ease drop but I can't always help it."

Alex's face fell. "You never said anything."

"Which is something I have regretted ever since. Maybe if I had told you how happy you seemed or what I knew, maybe you wouldn't have run away."

“How do you know I ran away?”

“Besides hearing the conversation? You got pretty dark for a while, Alex."

"There had been a lot going on at the time. I couldn't take the pressure."

"That wasn't it, Alex. You were afraid that you couldn't take the happiness," Kara corrected. "Look, I get it. Being my sister isn't easy. You put aside everything in your life to look out for me but you should never have done so at the expense of your own happiness. She made you happy."

"She won't want me around after what just happened." The comment was all but a direct confession that Alex still had feelings for the Detective.

“You can't let her be the one to run away this time. She was brainwashed. What happened in the park wasn't her fault."

Alex stared at her sister. 

Kara smiled back. "It took me until this happened to figure out what's been up with you since she walked back into your life. And I get it, you’re scared but don't let your fear of things ending keep you from things beginning. Be there for her and when the time is right, talk to her about how you feel."

Alex exhaled and it was as if Kara watched a weight lift from her sister's shoulders. There was suddenly a light in her eyes that had been gone the last couple of days. 

"Alex, go."

"Thank you," Alex said, shyly before kissing Kara on the cheek and heading to Maggie's room. 

As the visitor's room door closed Kara set out to straightened things up. She folded a blanket Alex must have used and tossed the old coffee cup into a trash bin along with a few other bits of trash that were strewn around the room. She then moved back into the hallway. 

Sliding her glasses down the bridge of her nose, she glanced through the wall, happy to see her sister moving towards Maggie's bedside. As she did, almost as if on cue, Detective Sawyer's eyes opened. Maggie blinked and then smiled at Alex. It was a small smile that Alex returned. They both might be too stubborn to admit it but what Kara saw was a sign that there was hope for the pair.

Convinced they were in a good place and wanting to check in with Doctor Snow, Kara turned and headed towards the nurse's station.

Not exactly being careful where she was going she nearly knocked someone off their feet as she collided with them. Reaching out, Kara stopped the woman, who was at the receiving end of her bump, from falling. "I am so sorry."

"No, it's my fault,” said a very fit redhead with short hair and deep green eyes. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

The stranger had a pained look on her face that seemed to be unrelated to the collision. Kara tried to push down the sympathy she started to feel as the realization the woman was on a restricted floor set it. 

"Is everything okay?" Kara asked, taking notice of the vase of Zinnias in the woman's hand and wishing she would drop her glasses again to give a quick scan of the stranger. 

“I'm fine. Just here checking on a friend. They were injured at the speech at the park the other day and I wanted to leave these before I left town.”

There was something about the women’s voice and her posture that caused Kara's suspicion to fall away as she realized the stranger’s identity. Even without the bat suit, the evidence lined up. "You're a friend of Maggie Sawyer."

"Yes. How did you know?”

“I’m Kara Danvers, a reporter with CatCo media. My sister was working with Detective Sawyer on the President's protection detail and since the Detective is the only patient on this floor...”

"You must be a very good reporter," the woman said with a curious mix of admiration and annoyance. "Pleasure to meet you, Kara. I’m Kate.” 

The redhead extended a free hand to shake, which Kara took. As their eyes locked, Kara wondered if the other woman knew whom she was really speaking with. “I'm happy to report Detective Sawyer is improving and is expected to make a full recovery."

Relief washed over the redhead's face as they dropped hands. "Good, that's good.”

"Since you managed to find your way past security you might as well go in and say hello. Maggie's just down the hall on the right."

"Thank you but I can't stay. I’ve got to get back home. I’ll just leave these at the nurse’s station to have them delivered.”

“I’m sure she would be happy to see you.” Kara knew that wasn’t true. From what little intelligence she had of the relationship the two had in the past, and how it ended, it was likely Maggie would be less than thrilled to see Kate Kane but it was the polite thing to say. 

“I’m certain she wouldn’t. It was nice meeting you, Kara.”

“Nice meeting you, Kate.” Kara said as she moved down the hallway.

“Kara?”

She stopped and turned back to the redhead. “Yes?”

“Oracle said she will be in touch soon with what she could dig up from the footage,” the redhead said with a smile and then leaned in just a little and dropped her voice just above a whisper. “And she might have a lead on the signal that brought you down.” 

Kara smile, nodded and then continued on her way to find Doctor Snow. It seemed they both knew whom they had been talking.

\-------

Alex was sitting in the chair next to the bed. She was a sight for sore eyes. Everything still ached and her mouth was dry but the only thing Maggie wanted was answers. "What happened?"

Alex was smiling but her body language and the stitches she saw along the other woman’s hairline made Maggie more nervous than waking up with tubes and wires connected to her and her hands cuffed to a bed. "There is plenty of time to talk about work later."

"I'm not exactly going anywhere, Alex. What happened? The hospital staff won't tell me anything. Is the President...?"

"She's fine," Alex interrupted. 

Relief washed over Maggie. "Good." Before she could say anything else a coughing fit sent sharp pains through her chest. They were so intense her eyes started to water. Having broken a rib in high school Maggie was sure she was currently suffering from severely broken ribs. 

Alex moved to the small side table and poured some water into a cup. Grabbing a straw, she went to the side of the bed and offered the water to Maggie who was grateful for the hydration but worried about the limp in Alex's gait. "What's wrong with your leg?"

"Minor sprain. I'll be fine."

"And the stitches?"

"Only five of them. Really, it's fine. I'm fine. All part of the job."

"How did I end up here?"

"Don't worry about that now," Alex said as she put the now empty cup on the tray in front of Maggie. 

"Alex, how did I end up here?"

Alex looked concerned "You really don't remember?"

"There was some kind of explosion? Fights broke out everywhere. I remember two guys in suits and a wolfman. I think I fired my gun," Maggie offered as she struggled to recall any of it. "I was on the ground, then nothing."

Alex's focus shifted and she picked the cup back up and moved it back to where it had been. "A'Daire got to you."

The words sunk in and panic came over Maggie. "I didn't..."

Alex turned back, her eyes going right to Maggie's. "No, you didn't hurt anyone. Supergirl stepped in."

Suddenly the fact her body felt like she had been in a car accident instead of a firefight made sense. "I wouldn't stop. She had to stop me, didn’t she?"

Alex nodded her head, sadness written all over her face. "Good news is we got Abbot and A'Daire. They are under very high tech lock and key.”

“But neither of them have alien DNA and neither are likely to say who paid them.”

“But we caught them."

"Your optimism can be really tiresome, Danvers," Maggie snapped and then instantly regretted it. 

The agent took a breath. "You love my optimism, Sawyer."

A deep sadness struck Maggie for having fallen victim to A’Daire, for letting the team down, and for taking her frustration out on Alex. 

Apparently, the sadness was easy to see. "What just happened?” Alex asked. 

Maggie shook her head. She didn't want to give voice to what she was feeling because she didn't want to lose it in front of Alex. 

Despite not saying a word, Alex had figured it out. "What happened could have happened to any of us."

Taking a deep breath, Maggie looked away. Her fear and vulnerability found out. "If not for Supergirl, I might have…”

Alex took quick steps back towards the bed. “Hey, but you didn't. And I repeat, it could have happened to any of us.” 

"That doesn't make it better," Maggie answered honestly as she began to stare at the tiled ceiling. "Do they know what happened?"

"Supergirl said your earpiece was out. She saw A'Daire next to you in the field."

"I don't remember."

"That's normal. None of the agents affected have any memory of her either. Cat Grant had a run in with A'Daire years ago and she told Director Henshaw her experience was the same. I promise you we will figure it out. The team is combing through all the CTV and media footage."

"The ear piece was out."

"Yes."

Maggie's mind was blocking something but no matter how hard she tried to reach it she was coming up empty. "Damn it."

"What?"

"My gut is telling me there is something else."

"For what it is worth, whatever happened, it looked to me you were trying to fight her instructions."

"How so?"

"It just did," Alex said, her eyes looking away.

There was more Alex wasn't saying but Maggie didn't have the strength to push. "It's all a blur. The last thing I remember was being on the ground."

"Focus on getting better that's the most important thing right now.”

“The people responsible aren’t going to be happy about the arrests.”

Alex’s head cocked to the side and she shrugged.

"What else aren't you telling me?"

Alex was ignoring the question.

"Alex?"

"In the short time you’ve been unconscious, the tension within the general public has grown. Even with CatCo and other media outlets reporting the truth, people are drawing their own conclusions."

"While those responsible are seizing the opportunity with spikes in seemingly isolated violent attacks, hate crimes, and rhetoric."

Alex nodded.

It was everything Maggie feared but as much as she wanted to do something she knew it would be a long road before she could get back in the fight. There wasn’t a part of her that didn’t hurt; yawning was even painful. 

“You need your rest.”

“Stay. I just need to close my eyes for a second. We need to figure this out."

“The DEO is working on things," Alex said, as she moved to the door. "You sleep.”

“Alexandra," Maggie pleaded. 

Alex froze with her back still turned. 

"Stay?”

Alex slowly turned back. "Doctor Snow said you need your rest."

Tears began to well in Maggie’s eyes again only this time, not from pain. "Stay."

“Are you sure?”

“I would rather not be alone right now.”

A small, shy smile appeared on Alex's face and she returned to the chair at Maggie's bedside. “I’ll be right here.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome," Alex said, as she reached out and took Maggie's uninjured hand. 

The Detective's heart quickened but her eyes were too heavy to stay open. As they closed, Maggie reflected on the warmth of the touch and the deep bruising on Alex's knuckles. 

As she drifted asleep, Maggie heard a few stifled sobs, felt a squeeze of her hand and then heard soft words that warmed her heart. "I'm really, really glad you are okay."


	22. Chapter 22

Kara wasn't sure how she had been roped into sitting at Detective Sawyer's bedside but there she was, at eight pm, watching the woman sleep. Alex needed to go home, take a shower, and get a change of clothes but was refusing to leave the Detective alone. With no one else available to sit in, Kara found herself in a large blue chair by the window keeping a sleeping Maggie Sawyer company while reading news updates on her phone.

It wasn't that Kara really minded especially because her presence at the woman’s bedside was a comfort to her sister. It just felt odd even with Detective Sawyer asleep. After all, it was years before in a lab at Stanford where Maggie Sawyer had met Kara Danvers and the result of that meeting had helped send Alex running. Kara imaged the memory wasn't a pleasant one and if the Detective woke up she might not appreciate who was keeping an eye on her in such a vulnerable circumstance. 

That wasn’t to say Kara was being entirely altruist. It was going to be just as difficult for her to have to make small talk with Detective Sawyer. The guilt over what she had done as Supergirl was still weighing on Kara and not being able to immediately apologize would be difficult. She had hoped, for this reason, she would have next seen the Detective as Supergirl. 

Of course, as luck would have it, Maggie Sawyer didn't stay sleeping. A small coughing fit, that Kara imagined was excruciating, had woken her. 

Kara rose from the chair having been startled by the sounds. "Can I get you a water?"

The coughing subsided and Maggie looked Kara up and down and then nodded. 

Taking that as a yes, Kara poured the Detective a glass of water. 

With tears in her eyes, from the pain brought on by her coughing, Maggie managed to speak. "Do I know you?"

"Umm, I'm Alex' sister. She really needed to grab a shower and a change of clothes but she wouldn't leave and so I said I would stick around in case you needed anything because the tall agent, who took me into protective custody, well, I guess he had to leave to deal with something and so I was the only option. And it's awkward, because you really don't know me, although we met once, years ago, and, I'm sorry, I'm rambling, hospitals make me nervous."

A tiny smile came to the corner of Detective Sawyer's lips. "For a reporter, you have a curious way with words."

There was something about the way the Detective was looking at her that made Kara's attempt at fake nervousness evolve into actual nervousness. "I'm better on paper. Oh, the water." Kara remembered and then moved, with the cup, to the side of the bed and placed the straw where she could reach it.

It was the first good look Kara had of the Detective’s injuries. Her jawline and what she could see of the woman's upper chest and arm were peppered with bruises. On one side she had a cast, attached to a brace of some kind, which was covering from her shoulder to just below her elbow. The other arm and her forehead were heavily bandaged with the wrap on her arm masking the entry point for the IV that was hanging by the Detective's bed. Kara wished she could have lowered her glasses for a better look at the injuries to, selfishly, relieve some of her own concerns about the woman’s condition. The Detective looked, in a word, terrible. 

After taking a long drink, Detective Sawyer smiled. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling?" Kara asked.

"The pain meds help."

"I'm sorry. That was a stupid question."

"Not at all.”

Guilt was crushing Kara’s heart. “It looks painful.”

“It is but I'm happy to report I'm apparently no longer homicidal so things are looking up. Oh, wait, is that top secret? Did I just give you a scoop?"

"I'm helping my sister out. Everything is off the record."

"Good. I would hate to have the wrath of the government come down on my head."

"It's our secret. I'm really sorry." The words escaped Kara's lips. She hoped they sounded compassionate but detached. 

The Detective was eyeing her with a hint of suspicion. "Um, Thanks. Nature of the job. We sometimes get hurt. I'm sure Alex has had her fair share of injuries." 

"Her work was hidden from me for a long time so I missed out on all the worrying until just recently. Now that I know what she does for a living I’m concerned just about every day; like when I saw you two running across the grounds."

A smaller cough broke up the conversation for a moment until Detective Sawyer got her breath. "Alex mentioned you were scheduled to be covering the event for CatCo."

"I did. It was a crazy scene. I'm just glad you are doing better."

"Thanks." The detective’s suspicious look was back.

"My sister was pretty worried. It's hard when a co-worker is injured in the line of duty," Kara offered as explanation since she couldn't express her own remorse for landing the Detective in the hospital nor did she want to bud into whatever personal stuff was happening between the pair. 

"She's been very supportive."

"That's Alex. Always there for people."

"Yep,” Maggie Sawyer responded awkwardly and then a silence fell over the room.

Kara rocked a little on her feet. "She should be back really soon."

"Alex really doesn't have to come back. Rest would be good for her. She looked really banged up."

Kara appreciated hearing the concern for Alex in the Detective's tone. "Her injuries were minor. She's healing."

"She was limping pretty bad." It was obvious Detective Sawyer was digging for information.

Kara saw no point in denying the woman a sense of relief. "Don't worry. It's just a sprain. She got lucky. The fight with that monster was brutal and..." Kara realized what she was about to say and shut up. 

"And?"

"And nothing,” Kara wanted to take back the previous two seconds and her only out was to awkwardly repeat herself. “It was a crazy scene."

The Detective’s suspicious look returned again. "You said that already."

"Said what already?" Alex asked, as she appeared in the doorway of the hospital room carrying the vase of Zinnias that Kara saw Kate Kane bring by earlier in the day. 

"That you were feeling better than you look." Kara stammered. 

"Bringing me flowers, Danvers?"

"No, these were at the nurses station for you."

Kara was surprised at her sister’s confident, flirtatious response and noticed Maggie eyeing the vase, studying it. 

"I offered to bring them in to you."

Kara moved to her sister and took the Zinnias. "I'll put them over here."

"I'm going to grab a coffee from the machine and then you can head home, Kara."

Kara smiled as Alex slipped away again.

"Really, I don't need a babysitter," Maggie offered. 

"No, it's okay. I can stay until Alex comes back."

"You don't have to."

"I want to. She's been worried about you.” Kara said pointedly and then decided the heck with being subtle. “She cares about you, Detective and it makes her feel better having someone here when she can't be. Let her have that."

Maggie Sawyer seemed to be caught off guard, her eyes drifting to the door. "She doesn't need to worry. I'll be fine."

"You were hurt pretty bad."

"She knows. It is part of the job."

Kara softened her tone. "Doesn't change the facts.”

"Suppose not.”

“Like I said, she cares about you.”

“I know,” the Detective responded turning her eyes back to Kara. There was a sudden shyness to her that Kara had never witnessed during any of their interactions, not even when she seemed in awe of meeting Supergirl. 

“Umm, is there a card in that vase,” the Detective continued.

Even though she knew there wasn't one, Kara still glanced in the direction of the flowers. "Nope. No card."

Maggie nodded. 

"Maybe they’re from the police force?" 

"No. I think I know. Was just curious if I was right."

"I was here, checking on Alex, when they arrived," Kara, for some unknown reason, found herself admitting. "They were brought in by a redhead, if that helps. She got passed security to deliver them so I just assumed she was with your division."

"Nope. Was she well dressed?”

“Yes, is she a friend of yours?"

"It was my ex."

"I see. Well, she is... resourceful."

"Who is resourceful?" Alex asked standing again in the doorway, this time a cup of coffee in her hand.

"You are," Kara lied. "I should head out. I'm glad you are doing better, Detective. Make sure you get some rest, Alex." 

Kara moved to the doorway and kissed her sister on the cheek. As she walked down the hallway she hoped the conversation she had just started with Detective Sawyer wasn't about to continue with Alex. Both women had enough already on their plates.

\---

Alex took a long sip from the cup in her hand and Maggie hoped that it meant the previous question had been forgotten.

Moving into the room and pulling a chair towards the bed, Alex smiled. "So, who is resourceful?"

There was no point making something up or pretending she didn’t know the source of the Zinnias. “The flowers are from my ex."

Alex nodded. "If she shows up again I'll have to thank her for helping us out in the park."

Of course Alex knew all about Kate's secret identity. What felt strange was having her brought up with such reverence and not a hint of jealousy. 

Alex shrugged. "What? She helped turn things around. A'Daire's in custody thanks to her assist."

"I suppose it's good she was there," Maggie begrudgingly admitted. 

"You didn’t call her in?”

"No, I imagine it was Oracle.”

Alex's eyebrow rose. "Then I also owe Oracle a thank you.”

Maggie began to speak but instead started to cough. The pain shuttering through her chest began to radiate down her shoulder and she started to cry.

Alex sprung into action and retrieved the cup with the straw and brought it so Maggie could reach it.

“Thanks,” Maggie said after taking a drink of the cool water. “Damn, that hurts.”

“Should I grab a nurse and have them up your meds?”

“No, I’m plenty medicated already.”

“But if it would make you feel better.”

“I’m good,” Maggie reiterated in a tone that was harsher than she had intended.

“I’m hovering, aren’t I?”

“You’re concerned.”

“But you need space?”

It was like Alex was reading Maggie’s mind. 

Maggie took a deep breath. “I need some space.”

“Whatever you need.”

The acceptance of the request was heart warming and Maggie immediately felt guilty for asking for it. “It’s just a lot has happened. There is a lot to process even before I ended up here.”

“No pressure, Maggie.” Alex said, placing her hand in Maggie’s uninjured one. “If you need me to step away I will. The rest can wait. You have to focus on getting better.”

“I appreciate so much you being here when I first woke up and staying with me today. 

“But you need to go it alone for a while,” Alex nodded as she removed her hand, a coldness finally emerging in her tone. “Whatever you need.”

“Please don’t be upset.”

“I’m not upset, Maggie.”

“Just until I can have a chance to process everything.”

“I understand more than you know. If our situations were reversed I think I would ask for the same. Just promise me you won’t completely shut me out. The moment you’re feeling better I want a chance, Maggie.”

Alex’s words hit hard and a lump caught in Maggie’s throat. She wanted to confess some things but only managed to nod.

“It’s late. You need your rest,” Alex said, rescuing Maggie from having to speak. “Is it okay if I have the team keep me updated on your condition?”

“It’s okay.”

“Good,” Alex said as she leaned close and looked Maggie in the eyes. “Get better.”

“I’m a fighter. I’ll be back to normal in no time.”

“I know,” Alex said as she laid a soft, warm kiss on Maggie’s cheek. “Sleep well.”

It was difficult to fight back the tears. “Thank you, Alex.”

“You’re welcome.”

\- - - 

"Please," Alex said as she stood from the sofa in her sister’s living room and moved to the kitchen. "When was the last time I asked you for a favor?”

Kara pulled the whiskey from the freezer. “How about when you asked me to sit by her bedside the other night?”

“I need you to do this, Kara. Doctor Snow is releasing Maggie in the morning and I can’t be the one to take her back to her place and she can’t do it alone.”

"Just because she asked for space doesn't mean, this one time, you can’t bend the rules.”

"That is exactly what it means. I promised her. This has to be on her timeframe.”

Kara retrieved a glass and filled it with ice before pouring her sister a drink. “Why is Supergirl the solution?”

"She admires you and it wouldn’t be out of place considering you can’t get much safer than having Supergirl make sure your apartment is secure.” 

“You need me to do this, don’t you?”

Alex took the glass from her sister and then placed in on the counter next to her. Her eyes turned soft. “It would mean the world to me, Kara. If I can’t be there you’re the next best thing.”

“You really like this woman, don’t you.”

“I really like her and I’m willing to do whatever if takes to not blow it this time. That means abiding by her wishes and giving her the space she needs.”

Kara was impressed. “When did you get so smart?”

“I’m not sure.” Alex said with a hopefulness and ease about her that Kara couldn’t recall having witnessed before.

“This looks good on you.”

“What?” Alex asked, confused.

“The possibilities.”

Alex rolled her eyes and picked up the glass, taking a sip.

“I’ll do it.”

“You will?”

“I just said I would.”

Alex slammed the glass back onto the counter and pulled Kara into a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“You owe me.”

“I’ll happily pay you back.” Alex offered as she hugged her sister tighter.

“You better,” Kara said as she hid the giant smile on her face.

\---

Maggie wasn't much for people fussing over her but she had to admit it felt good not to have to go back to the apartment alone. She expected Alex to continue to give her the space she asked for and so the arrival of Agent Vasquez in the doorway of the hospital room, just as Maggie was signing the last release forms for Doctor Snow, wasn’t surprising. The Doctor and the Agent exchanged professional pleasantries that weren’t fooling Maggie for a second. She didn’t need to use her detective skills to figure out there was something between the pair. With the paperwork in order, Maggie managed to convince them that she didn’t need to ride down in a wheel chair. Doctor Snow was harder to convince but Agent Vasquez overruled explaining that they owed it to Maggie to let her try to get to the SUV on her own. 

Each step provided varying degrees of pain as the normal act of walking made it clear how much of the human body was interconnected. The walking itself increased her breathing, and although the fresh night air felt wonderful, it also made her broken ribs ache. Turning her body to go down a hallway or when exiting the elevator made her shattered shoulder shoot sharp burning sensations up and down her entire side. As the door to the SUV was opened for her and she climbed into it, she slammed her eyes shut from the pain shooting through her. In that moment, her breath caught and every injury, with the exception of her head, was making Maggie aware that it was there.

“Damn it,” She blurted out as she re-opened her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Supergirl, who was sitting with her in the backseat, asked.

Shocked, Maggie still managed to find her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“I was asked to make sure everything was secured at your apartment. It was the least I could do.” 

“I appreciate it, Supergirl but I don’t need you to come back with me. Agent Vasquez is perfectly capable of making sure the system she installed is in working order.”

The SUV started up and began moving through the streets of National City.

“That is true but I would feel better making sure you get settled in. Besides I recall your walls need new coats of paint.”

“Entirely unnecessary.”

“I insist, Detective.”

There wasn’t much point in arguing with a superhero so Maggie dropped it. Since she couldn’t come up with much in the way of conversation topics and still feeling the pain from her walk to the SUV, Maggie leaned her head back and closed her eyes until they reached the apartment. After thanking Agent Vasquez for the ride, she and Supergirl headed upstairs.

As the ‘Girl of Steel’ worked on something with the security system that the agent had told her about, Maggie decided the apartment needed some fresh air and moved to the window to try and open it with her good arm. She was completely unsuccessful in lifting it but something outside caught her attention, a glimpse of a familiar movement on the rooftop across the street from her apartment. 

It wouldn't surprise her if Kate were still lurking after she stepped into the fight at the speech. Kate Kane, in all her Batwoman glory jumping into the fray that afternoon, sneaking onto Maggie’s floor at the hospital to deliver an expensive arrangement, and now, seemingly, keeping watch out of some kind of obligation to protect. 

In the end, it was the Hero’s fear of Maggie being injured on the job, while Kate dove head first into battles with lunatics, that started to drive the wedge between them and even after so much time it was that same fear that Maggie was certain dropped Kate on a nearby rooftop to keep watch. Maggie was grateful they had Kate's assist in the park but she was also very angry at what felt like dropping in on her life. Half of her wanted to yell thank you to her as she lurked on a rooftop and the other half wanted to scream at her to leave and never come back. 

“Everything okay, Detective?” Supergirl asked, as she reached over and easily slid the window Maggie had been struggling with into the open position. 

“I thought I saw someone is all.”

Supergirl glanced out the window. “A masked vigilante?”

Maggie nodded. “Batwoman.”

“Across on the building just to your left.”

“I thought so.”

“You two are close?”

“Were,” Maggie said putting distance between herself and the open window.

“Is that a good thing?” Supergirl asked, compassionately, as she also moved into the apartment and went to a can of paint, which she began shaking in her hand.

“It's a necessary thing. In the end we just didn’t fit.”

“Can I overstep?”

“You insisted on accompanying me back here and are apparently about to paint my apartment so I’m guessing, even if I said no, you would anyway.” The hero laughed which, despite the pain in her jaw, made Maggie smile. “Go on.”

“I’ve worked with Agent Danvers for a while now,” Supergirl stammered in almost familiar way. “I couldn’t help but notice that you two seemed… close. Combined with the Intel that you knew each other in school…”

“It’s complicated.”

“Does it have to be?”

It was a very good question but one Maggie wasn’t sure she had the energy to answer just yet. “Maybe not forever but right now, after what happened, after what A’Daire made me almost do.”

“I understand.”

There was something in the hero's tone that made it clear Supergirl did understand. Maggie was curious. “You do, don’t you?”

Supergirl slowly nodded. “The short version is that last year someone managed to do a similar thing to me. I did, and said, a lot of horrible things.”

“The Red Kryptonite?”

“Yes," Supergirl said, suspiciously.

"In my line of work it helps to follow the news closely."

"When I had my wits about me again I felt lost and alone. Agent Danvers stuck by me. I guess what I'm say is don’t be surprised if she makes it hard for you to hide out. Just try and understand she’s probably doing it out of…”  
Supergirl paused. “Friendship.”

Maggie appreciated her curbing her assessment into lesser personal terms. “Understood. And, thank you for dropping over to help with the apartment. I’m going to be pretty useless for a while.” 

“I'm so very sorry about that." The pain in the hero’s eyes was evident. 

As guilty as Maggie felt about her actions that day, she could tell Supergirl was feeling worse about what happened. This was unacceptable. Maggie firmly believed the hero saved her life that day by acting as she had. "I'm very grateful for what you did."

Confusion covered Supergirl’s face. "I hurt you."

"You stopped me."

"By hurting you."

"I remember nothing about what happened but was told. The sonic blast is the reason you struck me as hard as you did. You can’t blame yourself for that. I needed to be stopped. Had I hurt anyone..."

"You didn't."

Maggie nodded. "Proving my point. My injuries are a small price to pay. What you actually did was save me."

Shyness came over Supergirl that made her seem younger than she normally appeared. "I only wish it could have happened without you getting hurt.”

“The past is in the past.”

“Let’s make a deal. If you agree not to blame yourself for A’Daire’s influence, I’ll agree to accepting that despite what I did it was the outcome that matters.”

“Deal.”

“Good,” Supergirl said with a smile, as she easily pulled the lid from the paint can with her hand. “I, umm, didn’t have a chance to mention when we arrived. There is a thank you gift in your room."

"Thank you gift?”

Maggie moved to the door of her bedroom and opened it to find a king sized bed taking up what used to be an empty space. 

“We can’t have you recovering on an air mattress.”

“Thank you, Supergirl.”

“Actually, thank the President. She was the one to approve the budget authorization. There is also a signed commendation from her hanging on the wall and once you are feeling up to it she’s requested you come to the White House as her guest.”

Maggie felt her legs sway as Supergirl quickly moved to her side.

“Steady.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“You helped us keep her safe. She wants to honor your contribution.”

"Feels a little misdirected considering…”

“Considering nothing,” Supergirl interrupted. “Not your fault, remember our deal.”

“Part of me knows that.”

“And the other part feels completely responsible.”

“Does that feeling go away?”

“Not entirely. You just have to trust that you know what is in your heart.” 

Maggie nodded. "Supergirl, don't let the DEO stop trying to assess how A'Daire pulled it off. Something in my gut is tell me there is more to it than subliminal messages."

"J'onn mentioned you had told Alex your concerns.

"I have no actual memory of what happened but I feel like there is more going on. If I'm right, people could still be at risk because we are assuming the wrong thing about her she pulls it off."

“We’ll keep digging,” Supergirl said as she released her and moved back through the bedroom door and towards the paint. “Enough melancholy for one night. Let’s see how fast I can get the rest of these walls done.”

Maggie smiled and then went to the kitchenette where she pulled two glasses from the cupboard. "I'll get us something to drink." 

Moving to the fridge, Maggie used her uninjured arm to open the door and was surprised to find it fully stocked. She wondered if that was Supergirl's doing as well. Before she could ask the blur of a woman that was buzzing around painting the apartment, Maggie heard the phone in her jean's pocket ringing. Retrieving it with her good hand she glanced at the screen. 

It was Alex.

“Hi,” Maggie said as she answered it.

“Hi. How are you feeling?”

"Hurts like a bitch but the meds are helping."

“Supergirl got you settled in? Place is still secure?”

“Yes. Your doing?”

“Not only mine.”

“She insisted on painting my walls.” 

Alex laughed. “Cheaper than hiring out and with the super speed it will be done in no time. You need anything else?” 

“I'm set. Someone stocked my fridge.”

“Dhara and Terry insisted.”

The mentioning of the pair made Maggie happy. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Making sure I had food.”

“Just glad you're feeling better. Vasquez and the team will be by mid afternoon to put those curtains in.”

“Alex, they don’t have to do that.”

“You earned them.”

“Questionable assessment.”

“Maggie, we talked about this. How things ended wasn't your fault.”

“Feels that way.”

“Might for a while. When Supergirl gets done with painting, ask her about red Kryptonite.”

It was Maggie’s turn to laugh. “Just had that chat.”

“See, all heroes have had things happen that were out of their control.”

The wording stirred emotions that Maggie couldn’t handle. “Don’t call me a hero.”

“The shoe fits, Maggie. Wear it.”

Maggie felt her heart do a flip and so she leapt. "Hey."

“Yeah?”

“Dinner this week some time?”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“We aren’t on a clock, Maggie.”

“I know. I’m sure.”

“Then you tell me when and I will make sure I’m there,” Alex said with an impressive casualness to her tone.

“Good.”

“I hear you have a comfy bed so promise me you will get some rest.”

“That was also not necessary.”

“You can’t sleep on the floor in that brace. Now promise me you’ll rest.”

“I will. Thanks, Alex.”

“You’re welcome. Call if you need anything.”

“I will.” Maggie smiled. “Talk soon.”

Hanging up the phone, Maggie then put it back in her pocket. When she looked up she saw Supergirl had finished the walls, cleaned up the paint supplies and was smiling at her from about three feet away.

“You, Detective Sawyer, are all set.”

Maggie smirked when she saw a tiny splash of grayish purple on the hero's cheek. 

“What?"

With her good hand, Maggie grabbed a hand towel and ran it under water. She then moved to Supergirl and brought the towel to her cheek to remove the splotch of paint. “You did a great job but you didn’t manage to get away clean."

“Thanks."

"Can I get you something?"

"I'm fine. Do you need anything else?”

“I’m good. Agent Danvers apparently filled my fridge up and once I take my pain medication I’ll be out.”

“I will leave you to it. Don’t forget to turn the alarm on when I go. It works even with the windows open.” Supergirl said, as she moved to the open window and smiled.

“A useful feature on hot nights or when my apartment is freshly painted. Thanks again, Supergirl.”

“And by the way, your look out is gone.”

“I suspect she wanted to make sure I got settled in. I’m sure she is on her way back to Gotham.”

“She won’t drop in.”

“That’s not her style. I might get a call at some point.”

“If she does, thank her for her help and tell her if Gotham ever needs an extra pair of hands, I owe her one.”

“I’ll pass it along.”

“We owe you one as well, Maggie. You broke this case wide open. Is it okay I call you that? Maggie?”

“I’d like that.”

“I would like to think I made a new friend this week. I hope you feel the same.”

“I do. Thank you, Supergirl.”

“You’re welcome. I look forward to working with you again some time soon.”

“Me to.”

"And perhaps a Knights game some time?"

"You don't seriously go to sporting events when not out saving the city?"

Supergirl smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. "No, I don't, but I understand Agent Danvers doesn't mind them."

And with that Supergirl hovered into the air and out the window. Maggie moved to watch her fly into the dark night with only the full moon to light the hero’s way. 

As she moved back into the apartment, and took in her newly painted walls, while trying to ignore the pain coursing through her body, Maggie Sawyer took a deep breath. So much had happened in a short amount of time. She would have a long road of recovery but life was filled with new possibilities now and at least some of what she set out to do had happened. The conspiracy was still in place but they were one step closer to bringing peace to the victims of the Meta Murders. 

Moving to the kitchen she got a glass of water from the sink and took her medication. Her phone and house keys were deposited in the bowl by the door before she set the alarm. Confident the apartment was secure she fought off a yawn as she removed her pants with some difficulty and then crawled into her new bed. From there she could see the framed letter from the President on the wall and felt a pride like she had never felt before. 

Maggie Sawyer knew she wasn’t perfect and that there was a lot in her life unresolved but National City was beginning to feel like where she belonged. As the drugs began to kick in and her eyes closed her final thoughts were of what might come next.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for the kind words and kudos. This is the end of this story but I am editing this note to let you know that the sequel, Determined Pursuits, is available.


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